monologue
noun
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Soliloquy vs. Monologue
Soliloquy and monologue cover very similar ground, but there are some important differences between the two words. Soliloquy (from the Latin solus “alone” and loqui “to speak”) at its most basic level refers to the act of talking to oneself, and more specifically denotes the solo utterance of an actor in a drama. It tends to be used of formal or literary expressions, such as Hamlet’s soliloquies. Monologue (from Greek monos "alone" and legein "to speak") may also refer to a dramatic scene in which an actor soliloquizes, but it has other meanings as well. To a stand-up comedian, monologue denotes a comic routine. To a bored listener, it signifies a long speech uttered by someone who has too much to say.
Examples of monologue in a Sentence
Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In a one-minute monologue, Karla laces into the emptiness of certain transactional gay relationships, her perspective that of a weary veteran of one too many conditional trysts.
—Louis Lucero Ii, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
But the trend of B-list (or worse) celebrities attempting a monologue from the Studio 8H stage has been a huge handicap for the show over the past few years.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The monologue ended with Gosling handing Wiig her very own Five-Timers jacket.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2024
During her 2015 Saturday Night Live monologue, Dakota Johnson had an interesting realization.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Joker the Harlequin’s first-person monologues and the dialogue zing with flashy acerbity and sardonic asides; the anti-comedic routines range from the uproariously null to the aggressively nihilistic.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Then there’s the religion thing: a spirituality, freely accessed in his conversations and monologues, that mixes the gospel of Alcoholics Anonymous (he’s struggled with addiction himself) with his background in southern Christianity.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
Another moment worth sharing is when Andre 3000 breaks from the flute into a monologue spoken in a foreign language.
—Anthony Bryant, Essence, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monologue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle French monologue, from mon- + -logue
1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing monologue
Dictionary Entries Near monologue
Cite this Entry
“Monologue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monologue. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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monologue
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on monologue
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for monologue
Nglish: Translation of monologue for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of monologue for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monologue
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