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.
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, called it a "monstrous theft of taxpayer resources."
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Theo Kogan’s voice was — and is, in the Webster Hall footage from 2021 — clear and monstrous and the perfect voice to sing these songs.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
It became clear that what at first appeared to him and his father as another of the floods that afflicted Mystic every few years grew inexorably through the night until it became monstrous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
"They are heading into a free week to prepare for a monstrous clash next weekend."
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
The cavern reverberated with monstrous roars—dozens, maybe hundreds of enemies coming from every direction.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
