Adjacent Words

Monster definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MON'STER, n. [L. monstrum, from monstro,to show. So we say in English, a sight. See Muster.]
1. An animal produced with a shape or with parts that are not natural, as when the body is ill formed or distorted, or the limbs too few or too many, or when any part is extravagantly out of proportion, either through defect or excess.
2. Any unnatural production; something greatly deformed. Monsters are common in the vegetable kingdom.
3. A person so wicked as to appear horrible; one unnaturally wicked or mischievous. So a parricide is called a monster.
MON'STER, v.t. To make monstrous. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
2: someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful [syn: giant, goliath, behemoth, monster, colossus]
3: a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed [syn: freak, monster, monstrosity, lusus naturae]
4: a cruel wicked and inhuman person [syn: monster, fiend, devil, demon, ogre]
5: (medicine) a grossly malformed and usually nonviable fetus [syn: monster, teras]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English monstre, from Anglo-French, from Latin monstrum omen, monster, from mon?re to warn — more at mind Date: 14th century 1. a. an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure b. one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character 2. a threatening force 3. a. an animal of strange or terrifying shape b. one unusually large for its kind 4. something monstrous; especially a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty 5. one that is highly successful II. adjective Date: 1837 enormous or impressive especially in size, extent, or numbers

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an imaginary creature, usu. large and frightening, compounded of incongruous elements. 2 an inhumanly cruel or wicked person. 3 a misshapen animal or plant. 4 a large hideous animal or thing (e.g. a building). 5 (attrib.) huge; extremely large of its kind. Etymology: ME f. OF monstre f. L monstrum portent, monster f. monere warn

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Monster Mon"ster, n. [OE. monstre, F. monstre, fr. L. monstrum, orig., a divine omen, indicating misfortune; akin of monstrare to show, point out, indicate, and monere to warn. See Monition, and cf. Demonstrate, Muster.] 1. Something of unnatural size, shape, or quality; a prodigy; an enormity; a marvel. A monster or marvel. --Chaucer. 2. Specifically, an animal or plant departing greatly from the usual type, as by having too many limbs. 3. Any thing or person of unnatural or excessive ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Monster Mon"ster, a. Monstrous in size. --Pope.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Monster Mon"ster, v. t. To make monstrous. [Obs.] --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(monsters) 1. A monster is a large imaginary creature that looks very ugly and frightening. N-COUNT 2. A monster is something which is extremely large, especially something which is difficult to manage or which is unpleasant. ...the monster which is now the London marathon. N-COUNT 3. Monster means extremely and surprisingly large. (INFORMAL) The film will be a monster hit. = giant ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis] 4. If you describe someone as a monster, you mean that they are cruel, frightening, or evil. N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mon'-ster.

See DRAGON; SEA-MONSTER.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Prodigy, enormity, marvel, wonder. 2. Prodigy, monstrosity, moon-calf, unnatural production. 3. Ruffian, wretch, miscreant, villain, demon, brute, fiend.

Moby Thesaurus

Argus, Atlantean, Briareus, Brobdingnagian, Cerberus, Charybdis, Cyclopean, Cyclops, Dracula, Echidna, Frankenstein, Gargantuan, Gorgon, Harpy, Herculean, Homeric, Hydra, Loch Ness monster, Mafioso, Medusa, Minotaur, Pegasus, Python, Scylla, Sphinx, Talos, Typhon, Wolf-man, Young Turk, abortion, abysmal, amplitudinous, ape-man, astronomic, astronomical, awesome, baboon, bag, beast, beldam, berserk, berserker, blemish, blot, bogey, bogeyman, bomber, boundless, brute, bugaboo, bugbear, bulky, centaur, chimera, cockatrice, colossal, cosmic, deformity, demon, devil, devil incarnate, dinosaur, dog, dragon, drake, elephant, elephantine, enormous, epic, extensive, eyesore, fee-faw-fum, fiend, fiend from hell, fire-eater, firebrand, freak, freak of nature, fright, frightener, fury, galactic, gargantuan, gargoyle, ghost, ghoul, giant, giantlike, gigantic, goon, gorilla, griffin, gunsel, hag, hardnose, harpy, harridan, hell-raiser, hellcat, hellhound, hellion, hellkite, heroic, hippo, hippocampus, hippopotamus, hobgoblin, holy terror, hood, hoodlum, horror, hothead, hotspur, huge, immeasurable, immense, incendiary, incubus, infinite, jumbo, killer, king-size, lamia, large, leviathan, mad dog, madcap, mammoth, massive, massy, mastodon, mermaid, merman, mess, mighty, miscreation, missing link, monstrosity, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, mugger, mutant, mutation, nightmare, nixie, no beauty, ogre, ogress, outsize, overgrown, phantom, prodigious, profound, rapist, revenant, revolutionary, roc, salamander, satyr, savage, scarebabe, scarecrow, scarer, sea horse, sea serpent, she-wolf, sight, siren, sizable, spacious, specter, spitfire, stupendous, succubus, teratism, termagant, terror, terrorist, tiger, tigress, titanic, tough, tough guy, towering, tremendous, troll, ugly customer, ugly duckling, unicorn, vampire, vast, violent, virago, vixen, voluminous, weighty, werewolf, whale, wild beast, windigo, witch, wolf, xiphopagus, zombie