monstrous
Americanadjective
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frightful or hideous, especially in appearance; extremely ugly.
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shocking or revolting; outrageous.
monstrous cruelty.
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extraordinarily great; huge; immense.
a monstrous building.
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deviating grotesquely from the natural or normal form or type.
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having the nature or appearance of a fabulous monster.
adverb
adjective
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abnormal, hideous, or unnatural in size, character, etc
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(of plants and animals) abnormal in structure
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outrageous, atrocious, or shocking
it is monstrous how badly he is treated
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huge
a monstrous fire
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of, relating to, or resembling a monster
Synonym Usage
See gigantic.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monstrous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word mōnstrōsus. See monster, -ous
Explanation
Monstrous is an adjective that describes something gross or shocking. It can refer to the size, shape, or general look of something. If your face or body is monstrous, it's misshapen and horrifying to look at. The word monstrous describes something that you'd like to avoid looking at, if at all possible. The word comes from the Latin monstruosus, which means "unnatural, deviating from the natural order, hideous." When discussing size, monstrous means that something or someone is so huge it's frightening. Monstrous can also describe someone or something that's extremely cruel or brutal, like a monstrous dictator or monstrous lies.
Vocabulary lists containing monstrous
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Metamorphosis
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Words from Shakespearean Insults
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Over the next six months there’s going to be “a monstrous bull market under the surface” of the S&P 500, and it will be the “unmagnificent 493” that drives it.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Pressed on whether he had evidence to back up the claim, he said he told family and friends at the time what had been said "because it was so monstrous".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
If those assumptions about technology and demand prove wrong, these deals to clinch future capacity could become a monstrous burden for the tech companies and their investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Hesperia lacks the widely available activities found in an urban center, so when monstrous fish are caught in the local lake, “it picks up traction pretty quickly,” Hernandez said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Annabeth spun as a massive dark shape hurtled down at her—a snarling, monstrous blob with spindly barbed legs and glinting eyes.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
