Etymology From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum. Displaced native Old English fīfel and Old English þyrs.
A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or fictional kind.
O, 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear,/ to make an earthquake.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
[T]he monſter [sc. a tiger], rouſed by the noiſe, ſtarted forward, preſented ſuch a viſage of horror, and raiſed ſuch a hideous roar, that the hearts of the bold were contracted, and the nerves of the valiant unſtrung.1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page 6:
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He caught Grendel's right hand, and still without rising from his bed, stopped the monster's onrush.1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 29:
His origin amongst monsters and man-eaters signals the play's recurrent concerns with monstrification, with eating others or being eaten by them, and with issues of specularity […]1995, Bradley William Johnson, Birthed Effects: Shakespeare's Generation of Monsters, page 67:
“My flesh was not for feasting on, there would be no monsters gnawing and gloating over their banquet at the bottom of the sea.”1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 19:
2
A cruel, heartless, or antisocial person, especially a criminal.
Get away from those children, you monster!
I'm not a monster, Tom, well, technically I am / I guess I am...2006, Jonathan Coulton, “Re: Your Brains”, in Thing a Week Two:
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My young children leave their art everywhere. I find most of it on the floor. […] Eventually, I started throwing it all away. Perhaps I am a monster.2018 September 16, Mary Townsend, “Throw Your Children’s Art Away”, in The Atlantic, retrieved 19 Dec 2022:
"Because of this monster, Jayme won't have her mom and dad at her dance recitals," Mike Closs, Jayme's uncle, said in court. Closs' aunt Jennifer Smith said the family was satisfied with the sentence and knew it would give Jayme peace.2019 May 24, Joey Peters, “'Embodiment of evil': Jayme Closs kidnapper sentenced to die in prison”, in The Guardian:
So go and tell your friends that I'm a fucking monster / Sugar, spice and torture / Do it for the culture2023, Ennaria, “Monstarrr”:
The rest of the day he heard the children playing kick-the-can, hide-and-seek, Over-Annie-Over, jacks, tops, mibs, and the sound of the little monsters in every shrub and shadow would not let him rest.
4
Informal A prodigy; someone very talented in a specific domain.
That dude playing guitar is a monster.
He was a party monster. Able to drink and drug just about any member of the Fleetwood Mac family under the table, he did so with regularity and charm.2009, Carol Ann Harris, Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac, page 216:
Have you seen those powerlifters on TV? They're monsters.
Although she, for many years had waged continual war against rheumatism, her pleasant face shone like the full moon from under the white head-gear, while she had protected herself against any possible attack of the enemy by a multiplicity of petticoats and jackets; and as an outer fortification she had put on a monster of a frieze cloak.1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 250:
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The blacks had faded into the jungle before the weak eyes of the monster had fallen upon any of them, but now he caught the sound of their retreat, and, amid a terrific crashing of underbrush and branches, he charged in the direction of the noise.1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 132:
Ashley: Look at the size of that ship! Kaidan: The Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel fleet. Joker: Well, size isn't everything. Ashley: Why so touchy, Joker? Joker: I'm just saying you need firepower, too. Ashley: Look at that monster! It's main gun could rip through the barriers on any ship in the Alliance fleet.2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Bridge, Command Deck, SSV Normandy:
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Archaic A deformed animal or person (especially, a severely deformed one); in previous centuries often taken as an ill omen at the time of its birth. (Offensive when applied to humans in modern usage.)
The villagers were worried because the weather had been strange and several monsters had been born among the flocks and people.
Deducting then these cases, we have a large proportion of imperfect foetuses, which belonged to twin conceptions, and in which, therefore, the circulation of the monster may have essentially depended on that of the sound child.1837, Medico-Chirurgical Review, page 465:
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Cases of twins developed from one ovum, where one twin flourishes at the expense of its less fortunate partner, are not by any means uncommonly met with in veterinary practice. This is evidenced by the fairly frequent descriptions in veterinary periodicals of so-called "moles." It is not, therefore, with the idea of describing any monster of startling newness that I am tempted to record the anatomical peculiarities of one such anomaly; but rather because "moles," as described most commonly in veterinary journals, are viewed from the exterior only; their inner organisation being, for the most part, either ignored entirely, or treated of in a very cavalier manner. No doubt the external form and semblance of any monster is a matter of interest, but alone it is not satisfying; nor, indeed, is it always a trustworthy indication of the most important peculiarities of the organism. The outer architecture of a monster may be entirely misleading if taken too implicitly as a reflex of the internal furnishings. Especially is this the more likely to be the case when the malformation is great.1900 April 23, O. Charnock Bradley, “An Acardiac Monster”, in The Veterinary Journal [British Veterinary Journal], volume 1 (New Series), number 16, pages 207–208:
"Periodically, storms would bring the creeping death to the valley - drifting clouds of radio-active dust - and men would sicken and die and women give birth to monsters."1957, Sydney J. Bounds, The Robot Brains, London: Digit Books, page 153:
› A creature of unnatural or highly unusual… › A deformed animal or person (especially, a…
Etymology From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum. Displaced native Old English fīfel and Old English þyrs.
“You did great today,” I told Josh. “You were monster.” “yeah,” he said. “I was monster. Thank you, Charlie.”2010, Andrew Klavan, The Long Way Home, page 231:
Seconds later Nano’s monster throw-in from the left was recycled to the wing-back and, when he produced the most delicious of deliveries, the totally unmarked Lopes drilled home from six yards.2024 August 29, Alex Mills, “Larne headed for Conference League group stages as Andy Ryan hat-trick secures historic Play-Off joy”, in Belfast Telegraph:
monster
verb
Etymology From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum. Displaced native Old English fīfel and Old English þyrs.
1
To make into a monster; to categorise as a monster; to demonise.
Animals in our world have been monstered by human action as much as the free beasts of the pre-lapsarian state were monstered by the primal crime.1968, Robert Lowell, Robert Lowell: A Collection of Critical Essays, page 145:
A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations feature four cases of women monstered by passion. Madame Defarge is ‘a tigress’, Mrs Joe a virago, Molly (Estella′s criminal mother) ‘a wild beast tamed’ and Miss Havisham a witch-like creature, a ghastly combination of waxwork and skeleton.1983, Michael Slater, Dickens and Women, page 290:
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The community forgives: this is in deep contrast to offenders that emerge from prison and remain stigmatised and monstered, often unable to get work or housing.2005, Diana Medlicott, “The Unbearable Brutality of Being: Casual Cruelty in Prison and What This Tells Us About Who We Really Are”, in Margaret Sönser Breen, editor, Minding Evil: Explorations of Human Iniquity, page 82:
Demonizing or monstering other groups has even become part of the cycle of American politics.2011, Stephen T. Asma, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears, page 234:
2
To behave as a monster to; to terrorise.
In 2002, American interrogators on the ground in Afghanistan developed a technique they called “monstering.” The commander “instituted a new rule that a prisoner could be kept awake and in the booth for as long as an interrogator could last.” One “monstering” interrogator engaged in this for thirty hours.¹⁷⁷2009, Darius Rejali, Torture and Democracy, page 292:
The interrogators asked members of the 377th Military Police Company to help them with monstering, and the MPs complied.2010, Joshua E. S. Phillips, None of Us Were Like This Before: American Soldiers and Torture, page 39:
Andy Roddick has been monstered by both Federer and Nadal and suffered a 6-2 7-5 7-5 semi-final loss at the hands of the Swiss champion.2009 January 31, Leo Schlink, “Match looms as final for the ages”, in Herald Sun, archived from the original on 02 Feb 2009:
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UK To play (a series of) non-player characters as directed, without having the responsibility of organising the game itself; generally not limited to playing literal monsters or hostile combatants.