monstrous
Definitions
Shockingly cruel, evil, or wrong
骇人的，凶残的；荒谬的
Extremely large; huge
巨大的，庞大的
Like a monster in appearance; hideous
怪物般的，丑陋骇人的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmonster + -ous (full of, like) = 'monster-like.' That image split into two everyday uses: morally outrageous (a monstrous crime) and abnormally huge (a monstrous wave). Context tells you which — paired with wrongdoing it means shocking; paired with size it means enormous.
Root monstr still carries 8 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.monstrous act骇人的行为
- 2.monstrous crime滔天罪行
- 3.monstrous injustice极大的不公
- 4.monstrous size庞大的尺寸
- 5.monstrous lie弥天大谎
Example Sentences
- 1.
Treating prisoners that way is a monstrous act of cruelty.
- 2.
A monstrous wave rose up and swallowed the small boat.
- 3.
It would be monstrous to blame the victims for the disaster.
Easily Confused
monstrous vs huge — both can mean 'very big,' but monstrous adds a tone of unnaturalness or unease, while 'huge' is neutral. A huge cake is just big; a monstrous cake sounds grotesque. With abstract nouns (crime, injustice), monstrous shifts to 'morally shocking,' a meaning 'huge' never has.