noun
-
an outrageous or ugly person or thing; monster
-
the state or quality of being monstrous
Etymology
Origin of monstrosity
1545–55; < Late Latin mōnstrōsitās, equivalent to Latin mōnstrōs ( us ) monstrous + -itās -ity
Explanation
A monstrosity is something so hideous that you can hardly stand to look at it, like a zombie or an ugly modern building. A monster can certainly be described as a monstrosity, but so can anything that is as frightening or disgusting as a monster. A dictator's cruel regime is a monstrosity, and so is a three-headed fish. The word comes from the Latin word for monster, monstrum, with a root, monere, that means "warn," from the tradition of interpreting monstrous, deformed animals as omens — or warnings — of bad luck.
Vocabulary lists containing monstrosity
The Pigman
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Butterfly Yellow
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"It's just simply a monstrosity, but this signifies the end" of the grouping, "in which we already no longer participate," Petro earlier said on X.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Now there’s nothing to be done about it, including the fact that he plans to put a humongous monstrosity in its place — a large-scale ballroom that will dwarf the People’s House.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026
If only he’d caught half the heat as Wasserman, he might have retreated long enough to spare us from his juvenile X posts or his next monstrosity of a car design.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
Lieberman’s bill fused those two into a new agency, Customs and Border Protection—with Immigration and Customs Enforcement created as an initially small internal police force—then jammed them all into the hydra-headed monstrosity that is DHS.
From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026
The thing was roughly man-shaped, but that was where its humanity ended and its monstrosity began.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions 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.
