adj
Meaning 1
Very large; worthy of a monster.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, not-comparable
Examples
- He has a monster appetite.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: monstrous, gigantic
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
monster
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/
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US: mŏn'stə r
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US: /ˈmɑnstɚ/
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɒnstə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: M AA1 N S T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Great; very good; excellent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 3
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or fictional kind.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: beast
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or fictional kind.
A cruel, heartless, or antisocial person, especially a criminal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Get away from those children, you monster!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: beast
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or fictional kind.
A badly behaved person, especially a child; a brat.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, humorous
Examples
- Sit still, you little monster!
- The rest of the day he heard the children playing kick-the-can, hide-and-seek, Over-Annie-Over, jacks, tops, mibs, and the sound of the little monsters in every shrub and shadow would not let him rest.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: beast
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or fictional kind.
A prodigy; someone very talented in a specific domain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
- That dude playing guitar is a monster.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: beast
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A creature of unnatural or highly unusual shape or form (which makes a frightening or unpleasant impression).
Something very or unusually large.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
- Have you seen those powerlifters on TV? They're monsters.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A creature of unnatural or highly unusual shape or form (which makes a frightening or unpleasant impression).
A deformed animal or person (especially, a severely deformed one); in previous centuries often taken as an ill omen at the time of its birth. (Offensive when applied to humans in modern usage.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
Examples
- The villagers were worried because the weather had been strange and several monsters had been born among the flocks and people.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A creature of unnatural or highly unusual shape or form (which makes a frightening or unpleasant impression).
A deformed animal or person (especially, a severely deformed one); in previous centuries often taken as an ill omen at the time of its birth. (Offensive when applied to humans in modern usage.)
A disabled person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, offensive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A bizarre or whimsical creature.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The children decided Grover was a cuddly monster.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
A non-player character that player(s) fight against in role-playing games; a mob
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: games, gaming
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To make into a monster; to categorise as a monster; to demonise.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: monsterize
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 14
To behave as a monster to; to terrorise.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 15
To harass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 16
To play (a series of) non-player characters as directed, without having the responsibility of organising the game itself; generally not limited to playing literal monsters or hostile combatants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK
Qualifier: live action roleplaying games
Examples
- Are you monstering that event?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 17
(medicine) a grossly malformed and usually nonviable fetus
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: teras
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fetus, foetus
noun
Meaning 18
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: imaginary being, imaginary creature
Narrower terms: bogeyman, bugbear, bugaboo, boogeyman, booger, mythical monster, mythical creature
noun
Meaning 19
a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: freak, monstrosity, lusus naturae
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mutant, mutation, variation, sport
Narrower terms: leviathan
noun
Meaning 20
someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: giant, goliath, behemoth, colossus
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: anomaly, unusual person
noun
Meaning 21
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fiend, devil, demon, ogre
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: unpleasant person, disagreeable person
Narrower terms: demoniac
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *men- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *monéyeti Proto-Italic *man-eje- Proto-Italic *moneō Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Italic *-trom Proto-Italic *monestrom Latin mōnstrumbor. Old French monstrebor. Middle English monstre English monster From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum. Displaced native Old English fīfel and Old English þyrs.
Across languages
Translations
256 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: monstruós — very large
- Dutch: monsterachtig — very large
- Dutch: monstrueus — very large
- Finnish: hirveä — very large
- Finnish: valtava — very large
- French: monstrueux — very large
- Greek: τέρας (téras) — very large
- Polish: monstrualny — very large
- Russian: чудо́вищный (čudóviščnyj) — very large
- Swedish: jätte- — very large
- Afrikaans: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Albanian: përbindësh — terrifying dangerous creature
- Arabic: وَحْش (waḥš) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Arabic: مسيخ (masīḵ) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Arabic: وحش (waḥš) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Armenian: հրեշ (hreš) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Asturian: monstruu — terrifying dangerous creature
- Azerbaijani: nəhəng — terrifying dangerous creature
- Azerbaijani: div — terrifying dangerous creature
- Azerbaijani: əjdaha — terrifying dangerous creature
- Azerbaijani: canavar — terrifying dangerous creature
- Bangi: elima — terrifying dangerous creature
- Basque: munstro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Belarusian: пачва́ра (pačvára) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Belarusian: страшы́дла (strašýdla) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Belarusian: страхо́цце (straxóccje) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Belarusian: страхо́цьце (straxócʹcje) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Belarusian: мо́нстар (mónstar) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Bengali: দানব (danob) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Bengali: দৈত্য (dōitto) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Bulgarian: чудо́вище (čudóvište) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Burmese: ဧရာမသတ္တဝါကြီး (erama.satta.wa-kri:) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Burmese: နတ်ဆိုး (nathcui:) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Catalan: monstre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Chinese Mandarin: 妖怪 (yāoguài) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Chinese Mandarin: 怪物 (guàiwu) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Chinese Mandarin: 魔鬼 (móguǐ) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Chinese Mandarin: 妖物 (yāowù) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Czech: nestvůra — terrifying dangerous creature
- Czech: příšera — terrifying dangerous creature
- Czech: potvora — terrifying dangerous creature
- Danish: uhyre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Danish: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Dutch: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Esperanto: monstro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Estonian: koletis — terrifying dangerous creature
- Estonian: peletis — terrifying dangerous creature
- Estonian: monstrum — terrifying dangerous creature
- Finnish: hirviö — terrifying dangerous creature
- French: monstre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Galician: monstro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Georgian: მონსტრი (monsṭri) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Georgian: ურჩხული (určxuli) — terrifying dangerous creature
- German: Monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- German: Ungeheuer — terrifying dangerous creature
- Greek: τέρας (téras) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ancient Greek: πέλωρον (pélōron) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ancient Greek: πέλωρ (pélōr) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ancient Greek: τέρας (téras) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Haitian Creole: mons — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hawaiian: tutua — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hebrew: מִפְלֶצֶת (miflétzet) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hindi: राक्षस (rākṣas) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hindi: देव (dev) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hindi: दैत्य (daitya) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hindi: दानव (dānav) — terrifying dangerous creature
- White Hmong: dab — terrifying dangerous creature
- Hungarian: szörny — terrifying dangerous creature
- Icelandic: ófreskja — terrifying dangerous creature
- Icelandic: skrímsli — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ido: monstro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Indonesian: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Irish: arracht — terrifying dangerous creature
- Irish: ainmhí — terrifying dangerous creature
- Irish: amhailt — terrifying dangerous creature
- Italian: mostro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Japanese: 怪物 — terrifying dangerous creature
- Japanese: モンスター (monsutā) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Japanese: 化け物 — terrifying dangerous creature
- Japanese: 怪異 — terrifying dangerous creature
- Kazakh: құбыжық (qūbyjyq) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Kazakh: жалмауыз (jalmauyz) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Khmer: វិរូបកាយ (viruupaʼkaay) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Khmer: វៃយរាពណ៍ (vɨyyĕəʼriəp) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Khmer: យក្ខ (yĕək) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Khmer: បារ (baa) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Korean: 괴물 (goemul) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Korean: 몬스터 (monseuteo) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Korean: 도깨비 (dokkaebi) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Central Kurdish: لاور (lawr) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Northern Kurdish: lawir — terrifying dangerous creature
- Northern Kurdish: rawir — terrifying dangerous creature
- Kyrgyz: ажыдаар (ajıdaar) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lao: ຜີເຜດ (phī phēt) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lao: ຜີສາດ (phī sāt) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lao: ຜີເສື້ອ (phī sư̄a) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latgalian: baisūņs — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latin: bēlua — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latin: mōnstrum — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latvian: briesmonis — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latvian: šausmonis — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latvian: nezvērs — terrifying dangerous creature
- Latvian: monstrs — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lingala: elima — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lithuanian: siaubūnas — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lithuanian: pabaisa — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lithuanian: monstras — terrifying dangerous creature
- Lithuanian: baisūnas — terrifying dangerous creature
- Macedonian: чудовиште (čudovište) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Malagasy: sampona — terrifying dangerous creature
- Malay: raksasa — terrifying dangerous creature
- Māori: kaurehe — terrifying dangerous creature
- Māori: tuoro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Marathi: राक्षस (rākṣas) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Mongolian: мангас (mangas) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Norman: divèrs — terrifying dangerous creature
- Norman: monstre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Norwegian Bokmål: uhyre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Norwegian Bokmål: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Norwegian Nynorsk: uhyre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Norwegian Nynorsk: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Occitan: monstre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Occitan: mostre — terrifying dangerous creature
- Old English: þyrs — terrifying dangerous creature
- Old English: fīfel — terrifying dangerous creature
- Pashto: هيولا (hayolã) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Pashto: دېو (dew) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Pashto: دېب (deb) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Iranian Persian: هَیولا (hayulâ) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Iranian Persian: دیوْ (div) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Iranian Persian: غول (ġul) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Plautdietsch: Ontia — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: potwór — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: kreatura — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: maszkara — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: poczwara — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: monstrum — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: stwór — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: straszydło — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: potwora — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: bestia — terrifying dangerous creature
- Polish: bestyja — terrifying dangerous creature
- Portuguese: monstro — terrifying dangerous creature
- Romanian: monstru — terrifying dangerous creature
- Russian: чудо́вище (čudóvišče) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Russian: монстр (monstr) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Russian: страши́лище (strašílišče) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Russian: чу́дище (čúdišče) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Russian: потво́р (potvór) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Scottish Gaelic: uile-bheist — terrifying dangerous creature
- Serbo-Croatian: чу̏довӣште — terrifying dangerous creature
- Serbo-Croatian: не̏ма̄н — terrifying dangerous creature
- Serbo-Croatian: čȕdovīšte — terrifying dangerous creature
- Serbo-Croatian: nȅmān — terrifying dangerous creature
- Shor: шебелдей (şebeldey) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Slovak: príšera — terrifying dangerous creature
- Slovene: pošast — terrifying dangerous creature
- Spanish: monstruo — terrifying dangerous creature
- Spanish: vestiglo — terrifying dangerous creature
- Swedish: monster — terrifying dangerous creature
- Swedish: odjur — terrifying dangerous creature
- Tagalog: halimaw — terrifying dangerous creature
- Tajik: дев (dev) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Tajik: ғул (ġul) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Tajik: аъҷуба (a'juba) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Tajik: аждахо (aždaxo) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Tajik: аждар (aždar) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Thai: สัตว์ประหลาด (sàt-bprà-làat) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Thai: ปีศาจ (bpii-sàat) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Thai: อสูร (à-sǔun) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Thai: อสุรกาย (à-sù-rá-gaai) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Thai: ปิศาจ (bpì-sàat) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Turkish: canavar — terrifying dangerous creature
- Turkish: öcü — terrifying dangerous creature
- Turkish: dev — terrifying dangerous creature
- Turkish: gulyabani — terrifying dangerous creature
- Turkmen: gorkunç — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ukrainian: чудо́висько (čudóvysʹko) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ukrainian: чу́дище (čúdyšče) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ukrainian: потво́ра (potvóra) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ukrainian: почва́ра (počvára) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ukrainian: чу́дисько (čúdysʹko) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Ukrainian: монстр (monstr) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Urdu: دیوْ (dev) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Urdu: دَرِنْدَہ (darinda) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Uyghur: مەخلۇق (mexluq) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Uzbek: maxluq — terrifying dangerous creature
- Vietnamese: quái vật — terrifying dangerous creature
- Welsh: anghenfil — terrifying dangerous creature
- Welsh: angenfilod — terrifying dangerous creature
- Yiddish: פֿאַרזעעניש (farzeenish) — terrifying dangerous creature
- Afrikaans: monster — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Catalan: monstre — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Dutch: gedrocht — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Dutch: monster — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Greek: τέρας (téras) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Hawaiian: tutua — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Irish: péist — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Central Kurdish: دێو (dêw) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Latin: bēlua — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Malagasy: sampona — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: paskuda — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: pokraka — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: dziwoląg — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: dziwadło — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: dziwotwór — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: poczwara — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: stwór — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: szkarada — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Polish: gadzina — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Russian: уро́д (uród) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Russian: чудо́вище (čudóvišče) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Russian: чу́дище (čúdišče) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Russian: страши́лище (strašílišče) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Russian: пу́гало (púgalo) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Russian: чу́чело (čúčelo) — bizarre or whimsical creature
- Afrikaans: monster — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Bulgarian: изверг (izverg) — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Catalan: monstre — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Finnish: hirviö — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Galician: monstro — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Greek: τέρας (téras) — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Irish: ainmhí — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Italian: mostro — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Māori: nauwhea — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Māori: nauhea — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Polish: potwór — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Russian: и́зверг (ízverg) — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Russian: чудо́вище (čudóvišče) — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Russian: монстр (monstr) — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Russian: не́людь (néljudʹ) — anti-social person, especially a criminal
- Catalan: monstre — badly behaved child
- Catalan: dimoni — badly behaved child
- Dutch: monstertje — badly behaved child
- Finnish: riiviö — badly behaved child
- Greek: τέρας (téras) — badly behaved child
- Polish: bachor — badly behaved child
- Polish: smarkacz — badly behaved child
- Russian: чудо́вище (čudóvišče) — badly behaved child
- Russian: монстр (monstr) — badly behaved child
- Afrikaans: monster — something unusually large
- Catalan: monstre — something unusually large
- Polish: monstrum — something unusually large
- Russian: грома́дина (gromádina) — something unusually large
- Russian: коло́сс (kolóss) — something unusually large
- Russian: здоровяк (zdorovjak) — something unusually large
- Russian: гигант (gigant) — something unusually large
- Catalan: monstre — a prodigy
- French: bête — a prodigy
- French: monstre — a prodigy
- Iranian Persian: اُعْجوبِه (o'jube) — a prodigy
- Polish: cudak — a prodigy
- Russian: вундерки́нд (vundɛrkínd) — a prodigy
- Russian: ге́ний (génij) — a prodigy
- Spanish: monstruo — a prodigy
- Spanish: fiera — a prodigy
Real reading context