monologue

or mon·o·log

[ mon-uh-lawg, -log ]

/ ˈmɒn əˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

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.

Nearby words

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

“Stephen Colbert is here, ladies and gentlemen,” Letterman said during his monologue.
Stephen Colbert’s Groveling ‘Late Show’ Debut|Tom Shales|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is difficult at times to decide whether a story is a monologue or a mere narrative.
Browning and the Dramatic Monologue|S. S. Curry
Since this monologue was spoken the old lady has received her pension.
Workhouse Characters|Margaret Wynne Nevinson
This makes pauses and expressive modulations of the voice even more necessary in the monologue than in the dialogue.
Browning and the Dramatic Monologue|S. S. Curry
He is indeed another man than he was in his first monologue, for he has thrown off the mask.
A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.)|Mrs. Sutherland Orr
A real one coming before him would give life and variety to the monologue.
Browning and the Dramatic Monologue|S. S. Curry

British Dictionary definitions for monologue

monologue

/ (ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡ) /

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

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.)).