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monologue

or mon·o·log

[mon-uh-lawg, -log]
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noun
  1. a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker: a comedian's monologue.
  2. a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation.
  3. any composition, as a poem, in which a single person speaks alone.
  4. a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy.
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Origin of monologue

1615–25; < French, on the model of dialogue dialogue; compare Greek monólogos speaking alone
Related formsmon·o·log·ic [mon-uh-loj-ik] /ˌmɒn əˈlɒdʒ ɪk/, mon·o·log·i·cal, adjectivemon·o·log·ist [mon-uh-law-gist, -log-ist, muh-nol-uh-jist] /ˈmɒn əˌlɔ gɪst, -ˌlɒg ɪst, məˈnɒl ə dʒɪst/, mon·o·logu·ist [mon-uh-law-gist, -log-ist] /ˈmɒn əˌlɔ gɪst, -ˌlɒg ɪst/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for monological

Historical Examples

  • The difficulty with monological activity is that it renders the hearer passive.

    Herein is Love

    Reuel L. Howe

  • Nor does it follow that the dialogical principle forbids the use of the monological method.

    Herein is Love

    Reuel L. Howe

British Dictionary definitions for monological

monologue

noun
  1. a long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, esp when alone
  2. a dramatic piece for a single performer
  3. any long speech by one person, esp when interfering with conversation
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Derived Formsmonologic (ˌmɒnəˈlɒdʒɪk) or monological, adjectivemonologist (ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡɪst, məˈnɒləɡɪst), nounmonology (mɒˈnɒlədʒɪ), noun

Word Origin

C17: via French from Greek monologos speaking alone

xref

See soliloquy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for monological

monologue

n.

1660s, "long speech by one person," from French monologue, from Late Greek monologos "speaking alone," from Greek monos "single, alone" (see mono-) + logos "speech, word," from legein "to speak" (see lecture (n.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper