monster

[ mon-ster ]

noun

1. a nonhuman creature so ugly or monstrous as to frighten people.
2. any creature grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character.
3. a person who provokes or elicits horror by wickedness, cruelty, etc.

   Synonyms: miscreant, devil, demon, brute, fiend

4. any animal or thing huge in size.
5. a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur, griffin, or sphinx.
6. Biology.
   1. an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure, as from marked malformation or the absence of certain parts or organs.
   2. a grossly anomalous fetus or infant, especially one that is not viable.
7. anything unnatural or monstrous.

adjective

1. huge; enormous; monstrous:

   a monster tree.

monster

/ ˈmɒnstə /

noun

1. an imaginary beast, such as a centaur, usually made up of various animal or human parts
2. a person, animal, or plant with a marked structural deformity
3. a cruel, wicked, or inhuman person
4. 1. a very large person, animal, or thing
   2. ( as modifier )

      a monster cake

verb

1. informal.
   to criticize (a person or group) severely
2. sport to use intimidating tactics against (an opponent)

Other Words From

• monster·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monster¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English monstre, from Latin mōnstrum “portent, unnatural event, monster,” from mon(ēre) “to warn” + -strum, noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of monster¹

C13: from Old French monstre, from Latin monstrum portent, from monēre to warn

Idioms and Phrases

see green-eyed monster .

Example Sentences

So you’re creating this monster centralized, centrally linked biometric data architecture.

From MIT Technology Review

It was undoubtedly flashy, but from a usability standpoint, it felt like a Frankenstein’s monster of gadgets.

From Popular-Science

The operator of Alipay, the ubiquitous digital wallet and financial “super app,” won a monster $150 billion valuation after a funding round in 2018.

From Quartz

Another mathematical misfit, a prize possession for any cabinet, is simply known as the monster.

From Quanta Magazine

There is a danger, I think, in assuming that anyone who does not intervene in an emergency is a monster or inherently a bad person.

From Freakonomics

There was something cathartic about deleting this 2,500-word monster of a farewell, and resolving to live.

From The Daily Beast

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.

From The Daily Beast

Bratton was not ready to say that Brinsley was acting as part of a group or as anything but a lone monster.

From The Daily Beast

In its presence--jolting, sudden, horrific—the monster is the monster of grief.

From The Daily Beast

The two parties—mother and son, and monster—live in the same house, and are safe and healthy.

From The Daily Beast

At last two are successful, and the monster, hardly able to breathe, stands quiet and still.

From Project Gutenberg

Once again, the strong, black fist was clinched in the approaching monster's face.

From Project Gutenberg

If the hunter venture to come close to such a monster, and his dagger fail to pierce the vital spot, there is no help for him.

From Project Gutenberg

The men waited till the great body of the monster became still and quiet.

From Project Gutenberg

None would have believed that the cowardly monster Fear was for ever feasting upon his heart.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale