monstrous

English

Etymology

From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin mōnstrōsus. Compare monstruous.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑnstɹəs/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒnstɹəs/

  • Audio (Southern England)

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• Hyphenation: mon‧strous

Adjective

monstrous (comparative more monstrous, superlative most monstrous)

1. Hideous or frightful.
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     So bad a death argues a monstrous life.

2. Enormously large.

   a monstrous height

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice.  (First Quarto), London: N O for Thomas Walkley, , published 1622, →OCLC, , page 21:

     The chiding billovv ſeemes to pelt the cloudes, / The vvinde ſhak'd ſurge, vvith high and monſtrous mayne, / Seemes to caſt vvater, on the burning Beare, […]

   • 1901 December 20, “The Ringing of Plants”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record‎, volume 4, number 21, page 663:

     Possibly monster pumpkins may become still more monstrous by the shoots being ringed, and so may other vegetables and fruits where quality is of less importance than mere size.

3. Freakish or grotesque.
   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 3, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. , London: Eliz Holt, for Thomas Basset, , →OCLC:

     The irregular and monstrous births

   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The rule and exercises of holy living:

     He, therefore, that refuses to do good to them whom he is bound to love […] is unnatural and monstrous in his affections.

4. Of, or relating to a mythical monster; full of monsters.
   • 1637, John Milton, “Lycidas”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, , London: Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, , published 1646, →OCLC:

     Where thou, perhaps, under the whelming tide / Visitest the bottom of the monstrous world.

5. (obsolete) Marvellous; exceedingly strange; fantastical.
   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     The whole story was monstrous, and only worthy of the superstitious days in which it was written.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:large

Derived terms

• monstrous agreement
• monstrous moonshine

Translations

Middle English

Adjective

monstrous

1. Alternative form of monstruous