# monster

Pronunciation: US say "MON-stur" /ˈmɑnstɚ/; UK/AUS say "MON-stuh" /ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A strange, often large and frightening creature, usually an imaginary one from legend, film, or children's stories; in children's stories it can also be friendly or funny.
   - Simple: A strange, often big and scary creature from stories or films. Some are friendly or funny.
   - _My son won't sleep with the light off because he thinks there's a monster under the bed._
   - _The film is about a giant monster that rises from the sea and attacks the city._
2. A cruel, heartless person, especially one who commits terrible crimes.
   - Simple: A very cruel person who does terrible things to others.
   - _The newspapers branded the killer a monster after the trial._
   - _She could not believe her gentle brother was the monster described in court._
3. An enemy character in a game that players fight, controlled by the game rather than another person.
   - Simple: An enemy in a game that players fight, run by the game itself rather than by another player.
   - _The dungeon was packed with monsters guarding the final boss._
   - _Each monster drops gold and items when it is defeated._
5. An object or thing that is unusually large. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A thing that is much bigger than usual.
   - _The new cargo plane is a monster, dwarfing every other aircraft on the runway._
   - _He pulled a monster of a carrot out of the garden._
7. An unruly, ill-behaved person, most often a child; a brat.
   - Simple: A person, especially a child, who behaves very badly.
   - _By bedtime the toddler had become a complete monster, shrieking at everything._
   - _Those kids are little monsters, but their grandmother adores them._
8. A person of extraordinary talent in a particular field. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person who is amazingly good at something.
   - _The young striker is an absolute monster in front of goal._
   - _Critics hailed the pianist as a monster of technique and feeling._
15. An offensive term for a disabled person.
   - Simple: A cruel and offensive word for a person with a disability.
   - _Throughout his childhood, neighbors shunned him as a monster because of his twisted limbs._
   - _Cruel relatives whispered that the blind child was a monster and a curse._

## Adjective

4. Very large; impressively huge. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Extremely large, bigger than you would expect.
   - _The company posted monster profits this quarter._
   - _A monster storm is heading straight for the coast._
6. Outstanding; very good or excellent. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very good or really great.
   - _The guitarist turned in a monster solo that had the whole crowd on its feet._
   - _That's a monster goal: pure quality from the first touch._

## Verb

9. To behave brutally toward others; to terrorize.
   - Simple: To act cruelly and frighten the people around you.
10. To portray or label someone as evil; to demonize.
   - Simple: To treat or describe someone as evil and cruel.
   - _Wartime propaganda often monstered the enemy, painting ordinary soldiers as bloodthirsty savages._
   - _Critics accused the campaign of trying to monster immigrants in order to win votes._
11. To condemn or scold someone harshly. *(colloquial, British)*
   - Simple: To tell someone off in an angry way.
   - _He'll monster you if you turn up late again._
   - _The manager monstered his players at half-time._
12. To harass or pester someone persistently, or to overwhelm them, as a stronger opponent does in sport. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: To keep bothering someone, or to beat or overpower them, as in sport.
   - _My little brother would monster me for weeks until I finally lent him my bike._
   - _Debt collectors monstered the family with daily phone calls._
13. In live action role-playing, to play non-player characters as directed by the organizers, without running the game yourself. *(UK)*
   - Simple: In a live action game, to play the side characters that the organizers tell you to play.
   - _She offered to monster for the second act, playing villagers and guards._
   - _Crew members monstered all night, switching between dozens of roles._

## Noun

14. A severely deformed animal or person, once regarded at birth as a bad omen. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An animal or person born with a badly misshapen body.
   - _Chroniclers recorded the birth of a monster that year as a sign of coming disaster._
   - _The midwife crossed herself at the sight of the monster and began to pray._

## Origin

From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, from Latin mōnstrum ("omen, portent"), from monēre ("to warn"): unnatural births and creatures were read as warnings from the gods.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/monster (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).