Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

monthly

American  
[muhnth-lee] / ˈmʌnθ li /

adjective

  1. pertaining to a month, or to each month.

  2. done, happening, appearing, etc., once a month.

    a monthly magazine.

  3. computed or determined by the month.

    a monthly salary.

  4. continuing or lasting for a month.


noun

monthlies plural
  1. a periodical published once a month.

  2. Informal. Sometimes monthlies. a menstrual period.

adverb

  1. once a month; by the month.

monthly British  
/ ˈmʌnθlɪ /

adjective

  1. occurring, done, appearing, payable, etc, once every month

  2. lasting or valid for a month

    a monthly subscription

"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

adverb

  1. once a month

"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

noun

  1. a book, periodical, magazine, etc, published once a month

  2. informal a menstrual period

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of monthly

First recorded in 1525–35; month + -ly

Explanation

Anything monthly happens once a month. A monthly paycheck will enable you to pay your monthly rent. Whew! Monthly works well as both an adjective and an adverb, describing anything that occurs every month. You might get a monthly paycheck or make monthly phone calls to your grandmother. Or a freelance writer might write a couple of articles monthly and travel monthly to a nearby amusement park. A monthly can also be a magazine that's published once a month.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

See Examples For:

Meanwhile, Xiaohongshu's user base has grown to 350 million monthly active users, data analysis platform Qiangua said in May, from 300 million a year earlier.

From Barron's Jul. 13, 2026

In particular, he said he is looking for monthly core inflation readings of 0.2% or lower as tariff effects wane.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

There is a monthly meeting to discuss whichever book the group has chosen and another "scrap and yap" session, which focuses on book journalling and craft.

From BBC Jul. 12, 2026

If you are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, you can begin receiving monthly payments as early as 62.

From MarketWatch Jul. 10, 2026

Such fees are typically charged on a monthly basis during the period of supervision.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Elijah James’ “Upcycled Comedy” has booked stand-up in Indio with monthlies at Urban Donkey vintage store since 2024.

From Los Angeles Times May 7, 2025

Flaherty said the World’s news department has between 12 and 15 people who produce the newspaper, several weeklies, two monthlies, the website and newsletters.

From Seattle Times Feb. 28, 2024

Now dozens of liberated towns issued their own weeklies and monthlies.

From The New Yorker Dec. 3, 2018

There were relatively few exclusively upmarket magazines for them to advertise in: mainly women’s monthlies such as Tatler and Vogue.

From The Guardian Jul. 19, 2018

The suffrage movement maintains seven weekly papers, one fortnightly and four or five monthlies.

From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume V by Harper, Ida Husted

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training