Trivia Time

In ancient Greek theater, what did the word monologue originally describe?

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monologue

American  

[mon-uh-lawg, -log] / ˈmɒn əˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

Or monolog

noun

• monologues
  plural

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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monologue British  

/ ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡ /

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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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monologist
  noun
• monologuist
  noun
• monology
  noun
• monologic
  adjective
• monological
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monologues
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of monologue

1615–25; < French, on the model of dialogue dialogue; compare Greek monólogos speaking alone

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Explanation

A monologue is a speech delivered by one person, or a long one-sided conversation that makes you want to pull your hair out from boredom. The Greek root word monologos translates to “speaking alone,” and that’s a monologue: one person doing all the talking. In theatre, sometimes a character has a monologue that they perform. You might have an internal monologue where you talk to yourself to better understand some dilemma. Some people talk forever in a constant monologue, never letting you speak. If two people talk back and forth, it’s a dialogue, which is different and probably more fun for everyone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monologue monologues

That means the monologue was deemed worthy of airing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Now, the most recent monologue has drawn criticism from not just media pundits and social media influencers, but also celebrities, including Dan Levy, and more significantly, from people within the “SNL” family.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Oh wait, Gillis did say in his monologue that he feels most comfortable working out in “his friend Joe Rogan‘s private gym.”

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

The character hovered beside Kimmel during his Thursday monologue and offered to handle everything from his social media posts to his personal needs.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

“Why don’t you let us hear your monologue now?” the woman with the dangling glasses asked softly.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

You can’t really blame them if their response to the self-absorbed internal monologues of an unreliable narrator is, Oh, boo hoo.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

So when I read it, I was like, “Oh, OK. That’s like those five-page monologues that you don’t get very often to do for one character in one episode.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

On one weekend in Tokyo, hundreds of visitors flocked to a zine fair showcasing a wide range of handmade magazines in different sizes and formats -- some incorporating abstract designs, photography or personal monologues.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

During Colbert’s CBS run, he delivered more than 1,800 opening monologues, speaking directly to the audience in a comedy ritual that has defined the late-night genre since the early days of television.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

I will miss all of you, especially Mr. Hathaway's pop quizzes and Clayton's fascinating monologues about mummies.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

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Related Words

• discourse
• harangue
• lecture
• sermon
• soliloquy
• speech

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