monstrous
UK /ˈmɒnstɹəs/ · US /ˈmɑnstɹəs/ adjective
- adjective Hideous or frightful.
- adjective Enormously large. “a monstrous height”
- adjective Freakish or grotesque.
- adjective Of, or relating to a mythical monster; full of monsters.
- adjective (obsolete) Marvellous; exceedingly strange; fantastical.
- adjective (offensive, derogatory) Disabled; crippled. (A severe slur used to describe persons with disabilities.)
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin mōnstrōsus. Compare monstruous. By surface analysis, monster + -ous.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Marvelous; strange. [Obs.]
- adjective Having the qualities of a monster; deviating greatly from the natural form or character; abnormal; as, a monstrous birth. Locke.
- adverb Exceedingly; very; very much. "A monstrous thick oil on the top." Bacon.
Etymology [OE. monstruous, F. monstrueux, fr. L. monstruosus, fr. monstrum. See Monster.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “monstrous”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details