monologue

or mon·o·log

[mon-uh-lawg, -log]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR monologue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker: a comedian's monologue.

a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation.

any composition, as a poem, in which a single person speaks alone.

a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy.

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. 2019

Related Words for monologue

soliloquy, discourse, speech, lecture, harangue, sermon, descant, disquisition, talk, address

Examples from the Web for monologue

Contemporary Examples of monologue

We shake hands and he immediately begins a monologue about prison breaks and South America.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Gil took weeks to build a monologue, skillfully turning the words on their head.
‘The Prince of Chocolate City’: When Gil Scott-Heron Became A Music Icon
Marcus Baram
November 15, 2014
I never watch television," he says, then corrects himself: "Well, sometimes Carson's monologue.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up
Tom Boswell
September 27, 2014
Boylexe is a spin-off of a show about women in burlesque called Burlexe, which likewise mixes striptease, monologue, and song.
Inside London's Underground Burlesque and Fetish Scene
Liza Foreman
August 12, 2014
“Stephen Colbert is here, ladies and gentlemen,” Letterman said during his monologue.
Stephen Colbert’s Groveling ‘Late Show’ Debut
Tom Shales
April 23, 2014

Historical Examples of monologue

Mame punctuates this monologue with a regular and excusable "My land!"
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
At last there was a lull in the monologue and I arose and said I must be going.
City of Endless Night
Milo Hastings
I was shaving during this monologue of Mammy's, with my back to her.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
Conversation during the meal was, for the most part, a monologue by the captain.
Cap'n Warren's Wards
Joseph C. Lincoln
Still the only reply to his monologue was the chugging of the engine.
Steve and the Steam Engine
Sara Ware Bassett

British Dictionary definitions for monologue

monologue

noun

a long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, esp when alone

a dramatic piece for a single performer

any long speech by one person, esp when interfering with conversation

Derived Formsmonologic (ˌmɒnəˈlɒdʒɪk) or monological, adjectivemonologist (ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡɪst, məˈnɒləɡɪst), nounmonology (mɒˈnɒlədʒɪ), noun

Word Origin for monologue

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 monologue

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.)).