Definition of "monster"

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, [Act II, scene i]

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 2022-12-19

"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

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

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

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, PC, scene: Bridge, Command Deck, SSV Normandy

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

I turned to Jack and said, "It's supposed to be monster."

2004, Rex Pickett, Sideways‎, page 55

How do you get more monster than a monster truck? You build a monster tank.

2009, Michael O'Hearn, The Kids' Guide to Monster Trucks

“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

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

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

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.177

2009, 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 2 February 2009