monosyllabic

[mon-uh-si-lab-ik]

adjective

having only one syllable, as the word no.

having a vocabulary composed primarily of monosyllables or short, simple words.

very brief; terse or blunt: a monosyllabic reply.

Origin of monosyllabic

1815–25; < Medieval Latin monosyllabicus, equivalent to Late Latin monosyllab(on) monosyllable (< Greek monosýllabon, noun use of neuter of monosýllabos monosyllabic) + -icus -ic

Related formsmon·o·syl·lab·i·cal·ly, adverbmon·o·syl·la·bic·i·ty

[mon-uh-sil-uh-bis-i-tee] /ˌmɒn əˌsɪl əˈbɪs ɪ ti/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monosyllabic

Contemporary Examples of monosyllabic

His first language was Russian, then he learned Swedish, but chooses to perform in monosyllabic broken English.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’
Marlow Stern
January 4, 2015
His response, as he remembered it then, had been barely more than monosyllabic.
Bush’s Unanswered 9/11 Questions
Anthony Summers, Robbyn Swan
August 28, 2011
While the boys, many of whom forgot to put on underwear, grunt in monosyllabic tones.
Exactly How Are Men Superior?
Laura Bennett
January 29, 2009

Historical Examples of monosyllabic

In reply he received a monosyllabic affirmative; Kirkwood did not look up.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
Martell was monosyllabic as usual, and we sat and gazed into the fire.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 15, 1914
Various
That it had suited her admirably, and that it was monosyllabic, was all he could remember.
Antony Gray,--Gardener
Leslie Moore
That was the first speech by either of them since the monosyllabic greeting at the door.
No Clue
James Hay
Nothing could be more delightful than to be as calm and monosyllabic as we were.
Woman's Work in the Civil War
Linus Pierpont Brockett

British Dictionary definitions for monosyllabic

monosyllabic

adjective

(of a word) containing only one syllable

characterized by monosyllables; curta monosyllabic answer

Derived Formsmonosyllabically, adverb

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 monosyllabic

adj.

1824, of languages; 1828, of words; 1870, of persons, from monosyllable + -ic. Earlier form was monosyllabical (1680s, of words). Related: Monosyllabically.