Word
monstrous
Phoneticsmon·strous
US/ˈmɑnstɹəs/
UK/mˈɒnstɹəs/
Definitions
01cruel or shocking
adj. extremely cruel, evil, or unfair in a way that shocks you.
adj. shockingly evil, cruel, or morally wrong. Often used to describe crimes, lies, or injustices.
“It was a monstrous lie that destroyed the man's reputation.”
“The dictator was eventually held accountable for the monstrous crimes committed against his own people during the civil war.”
02very large
adj. unusually large, often in a way that is scary or impressive.
adj. extraordinarily large in size, extent, or amount; colossal.
“A monstrous wave crashed against the side of the small boat.”
“The project was hampered by a monstrous amount of paperwork that delayed the construction for several months.”
03ugly or frightening
adj. looking like a monster; very ugly or scary to look at.
adj. having the appearance of a monster; hideous or grotesque in form.
“The old mask had a monstrous face with long, sharp teeth.”
“In the dim light of the cave, the jagged rock formations took on monstrous shapes that unsettled the hikers.”
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Reigning javelin king Rumesh Pathirage launched a monstrous 91.09m final throw for the win to continue his unbeaten streak this season.” Etymology
From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin mōnstrōsus. Compare monstruous. By surface analysis, monster + -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/monstrous