What does monstrously mean?
Monstrously is an adverb used to emphasize the extreme degree of a quality, especially when describing something very bad, cruel, shocking, or intense. Saying that a performance was monstrously bad is more emphatic than saying it was simply bad, and it conveys a sense of outrage or disbelief as well as magnitude. The word can also describe behavior or movement that resembles that of a monster, though this literary use is less common. Its force comes from its association with the adjective monstrous and the image of something terrifyingly large, cruel, or inhuman. In everyday use, monstrously often functions as a strong intensifier and may sound informal or exaggerated. It is therefore useful when the speaker wants to make clear that a situation is not merely unpleasant but exceptionally severe.
adverbTo an extremely great degree, especially in describing something that is very bad, cruel, or shocking. It can also mean in a manner resembling a monster.
- To an extremely great degree, especially in describing something very bad, cruel, or shocking.
- In a manner resembling a monster or a monstrous creature.
"The team performed monstrously badly in the second half of the match."
"The weather was monstrously cold for the entire month."
"In the story, the creature moves monstrously through the abandoned castle."
Monstrously turns an already vivid description into an emphatic one: a performance can be bad, but a monstrously bad performance leaves no doubt.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does monstrously come from?
Monstrously was formed in English from the adjective monstrous plus the adverbial suffix -ly. Monstrous derives through Old French from Latin monstrosus, which was based on monstrum, meaning “monster” or “omen.” The Latin root is also associated with monstrare, “to show,” reflected in English cognates such as demonstrate and demonstration.
Related word forms
How monstrously is actually used
The word is strongly emphatic and is most often informal or colloquial, although it appears in journalism and criticism as well. It can express extreme degree without necessarily implying literal monstrosity.
Easily confused with monstrously
Monstrous is an adjective describing something monstrous, while monstrously is an adverb describing the degree or manner of an action or quality.