monologue

American  

[mon-uh-lawg, -log] / ˈmɒn əˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

Or monolog

noun

monologues plural

1. a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker.

   a comedian's monologue.

2. a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation.

3. any composition, as a poem, in which a single person speaks alone.

4. a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy.

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monologue British  

/ məˈnɒləɡɪst, mɒˈnɒlədʒɪ, ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡɪst, ˌmɒnəˈlɒdʒɪk, ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡ /

noun

1. a long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, esp when alone

2. a dramatic piece for a single performer

3. any long speech by one person, esp when interfering with conversation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monologist
  noun
• monologuist
  noun
• monology
  noun
• monologic
  adjective
• monological
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monologues
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monologue

1615–25; < French, on the model of dialogue dialogue; compare Greek monólogos speaking alone

Explanation

A monologue is a speech delivered by one person, or a long one-sided conversation that makes you want to pull your hair out from boredom. The Greek root word monologos translates to “speaking alone,” and that’s a monologue: one person doing all the talking. In theatre, sometimes a character has a monologue that they perform. You might have an internal monologue where you talk to yourself to better understand some dilemma. Some people talk forever in a constant monologue, never letting you speak. If two people talk back and forth, it’s a dialogue, which is different and probably more fun for everyone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monologue monologues

In a closing monologue, Odysseus looks ahead to the collapse of the Bronze Age, imagining a future in which his world and everything that happened to him will be forgotten.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Years later, when “SNL” developed its opening monologue, it served a similar purpose.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

“Our founding fathers drafted a charter to guarantee the rule of law and the rights of man,” says Obama in an introductory monologue.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

After a dizzying cascade of revelations about his background, he delivers an exceptionally revealing monologue that strikes some late and very welcome grace notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

My father stopped in the middle of the monologue he had been reciting for me and gave an irritated sigh.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

So when I read it, I was like, “Oh, OK. That’s like those five-page monologues that you don’t get very often to do for one character in one episode.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

On one weekend in Tokyo, hundreds of visitors flocked to a zine fair showcasing a wide range of handmade magazines in different sizes and formats -- some incorporating abstract designs, photography or personal monologues.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

Jamieson says there isn't the same history of comedy monologues in British TV and adds they're more commonplace in America due to a culture of late-night TV chat shows.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

Compared to its most recent predecessors, “Middle of Nowhere” is a thematically generous record that finds Ms. Musgraves thinking outside of herself, setting aside diaristic monologues in favor of story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

When I was seven, I used to go to the town square to recite monologues from the works of Shakespeare for the adults of my community.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• discourse
• harangue
• lecture
• sermon
• soliloquy
• speech