monstrous

IPA/ˈmɒnstrəs/
KK[mˈɑnstrəs]IPA/ˈmɑːnstrəs/

monstrous — adjective

  • monstrouspositive
  • more monstrouscomparative
  • most monstroussuperlative

1. so cruel, unfair, or evil that it shocks people and feels far beyond what any de

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

so cruel, unfair, or evil that it shocks people and feels far beyond what any decent person should do.

Example

The soldiers carried out a monstrous attack on the village before dawn.

monstrous + noun for shocking violence

Roya called the scam a monstrous crime against elderly people living alone.

monstrous + crime for moral condemnation

Common collocations
  • monstrous crime
  • monstrous cruelty
  • monstrous injustice
  • monstrous lie
  • monstrous behaviour
Synonyms
  • appalling

    focuses on causing shock or disgust, often in public judgment.

  • atrocious

    stronger and more formal; often used for brutal crimes or acts.

  • brutal

    emphasizes physical or emotional cruelty more directly than monstrous.

Antonyms
  • humane

    showing kindness and concern for other people or animals.

  • just

    fair and morally right, especially in laws or decisions.

Grammar Patterns

monstrous + noun (crime/act/injustice/cruelty)

be + monstrous + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Usually describes actions, treatment, or systems that deserve strong moral condemnation, not ordinary mistakes or simple unpleasantness. It often appears with nouns like 'crime,' 'injustice,' 'cruelty,' and 'lie.'

Common Mistakes

The cafe made a monstrous mistake by forgetting my sugar.
The cafe made a serious mistake by forgetting my sugar.
'Monstrous' is too strong for an ordinary error; it suggests shocking cruelty or injustice.

2. having a frightening, ugly, or abnormal look that makes it seem more like a nigh

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

having a frightening, ugly, or abnormal look that makes it seem more like a nightmare creature than an ordinary living thing.

Example

The illustrator drew a monstrous bird with six wings and a child's face.

monstrous + creature with abnormal features

Kemi woke from a dream about a monstrous dog scratching at the window.

Common collocations
  • monstrous face
  • monstrous creature
  • monstrous shape
  • monstrous statue
  • monstrous mask
Synonyms
  • grotesque

    more formal; stresses distortion and ugliness.

  • hideous

    focuses on extreme ugliness rather than a monster-like form.

  • freakish

    emphasizes abnormality, sometimes without the same dramatic fear.

Antonyms
  • normal

    having an ordinary shape or appearance.

  • natural-looking

    appearing ordinary rather than strange or deformed.

Grammar Patterns

monstrous + noun (face/shape/creature/statue)

look/seem + monstrous

Usage Note

This sense focuses on appearance or form. It is common in fantasy, horror, and vivid description, where something looks unnaturally ugly, frightening, or deformed. If you only mean 'very large,' use sense 3 instead.

Common Mistakes

The warehouse looked monstrous because it was very big.
The warehouse looked enormous because it was very big.
Sense 2 suggests a frightening or unnatural look, not size alone.

3. so big in scale, quantity, or force that it feels excessive and hard to ignore.

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

so big in scale, quantity, or force that it feels excessive and hard to ignore.

Example

Liang paid a monstrous bill after inviting thirty cousins to dinner.

monstrous + bill for excessive amount

The storm sent a monstrous wave crashing over the harbour wall.

Common collocations
  • monstrous bill
  • monstrous wave
  • monstrous profit
  • monstrous pile
  • monstrous amount
Synonyms
  • enormous

    the closest neutral equivalent for very great size or amount.

  • gigantic

    often suggests impressive physical size more than excess amount.

  • immense

    slightly more formal and common with abstract scale as well as physical size.

Antonyms
  • tiny

    very small in size.

  • modest

    small or limited in amount, cost, or scale.

Grammar Patterns

monstrous + noun (bill/wave/profit/pile/amount)

a monstrous amount of + noun

Usage Note

Often used for size, cost, amount, or strength in a dramatic way. It can describe both physical things and abstract quantities such as profits, bills, or appetites. Distinguish it from sense 2: here the focus is excess size or scale, not a frightening appearance.

Common Mistakes

The dragon looked monstrous because it had three heads.
The dragon looked monstrous because it had three heads and glowing eyes.
If you mean ugly and frightening appearance, that is sense 2 rather than sheer size.

monstrous — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all express very strong disapproval, but they point to different kinds of wrongness. Monstrous is the most dramatic: it suggests behaviour so cruel or unfair that it seems beyond normal human decency. Appalling focuses on the shock you feel when you hear or see something. Atrocious is more formal and often used for serious crimes, abuse, or terrible conditions. Brutal highlights physical violence or cold treatment rather than moral shock alone. Outrageous is common when something feels unfair, insulting, or wildly unreasonable. You might call a war crime monstrous, a prison report appalling, an attack atrocious, a beating brutal, and a hotel charge outrageous.

monstrous ↗appallingatrociousbrutal ↗outrageous ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • absolutely monstrous
  • truly monstrous

Phrases

  • of monstrous proportions

Prepositions

  • monstrous in size
  • monstrous in scale

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Monstrous comes from the same family as 'monster.' It goes back to Latin 'monstruosus,' built on 'monstrum,' a sign or warning from the gods. Through French and then English, the word first described things that looked unnatural or frightening, as if they belonged to the world of monsters. Later it also came to describe acts that feel shockingly wrong, and then, more loosely, things that seem enormously large or excessive.