Meaning & use
monologues
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“monologues” is a form of “monologue”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
A long speech made by one person who is alone on stage or speaking without interruption.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a monologue' for one speech and 'monologues' for more than one.
Patterns
- deliver a monologue
- perform a monologue
- a dramatic monologue
The actor opened the play with a five-minute monologue about his childhood.
She wrote several monologues for the audition.
His monologues are famous for their sharp, funny observations.
nouncountabledisapproving
A long, boring speech that stops other people from taking part in a conversation.
Grammar: Often used disapprovingly; you can say 'a monologue about something'.
Patterns
- a monologue about something
- launch into a monologue
At dinner he gave us a monologue about his new car and nobody could get a word in.
Her answer turned into a monologue instead of a discussion.
nouncountablespecialist
A piece of writing or a performance in which one character speaks alone, often used as a literary form.
Grammar: Common in academic writing about drama and poetry.
Patterns
- a dramatic monologue
- a collection of monologues
The poem is a dramatic monologue spoken by a duke.
Students analyzed the monologues in the play for their final essay.
Word forms
| singular | monologue |
|---|
Common combinations
- deliver a monologue
- The comedian delivered a monologue about airport security.
- a dramatic monologue
- The class read a dramatic monologue by Robert Browning.
- a long monologue
- His long monologue made the meeting run late.
- perform a monologue
- She performed a monologue from a famous play.
- a monologue about something
- He launched into a monologue about the importance of sleep.
Synonyms and how they differ
- soliloquy
- A soliloquy is a speech in a play where a character reveals private thoughts while alone; a monologue can be any long speech by one person, even to an audience.
- speech
- A speech is a formal talk to an audience; a monologue is usually more one-sided and can be part of a play or a conversation.
- rant
- A rant is an angry, uncontrolled speech; a monologue may be calm or boring rather than angry.
Opposites
Word family
- monologue noun
- The singular form; one long speech by one person.
- monologist noun
- A person who performs monologues, especially as a type of entertainment.
- monologic adjective
- Relating to a monologue; often describing a style of speaking that does not allow reply.
Commonly confused: monologues or monolog? monologues or dialogues?
monologues vs monolog
A rare variant spelling of 'monologue', mostly American; 'monologue' is the standard spelling in both British and American English.
monologues vs dialogues
The plural of 'dialogue' means conversations between two or more people; 'monologues' means speeches by one person.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'monologues' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Monologues' is plural, so it fits after 'several'. Options A, B and D use 'a' with a plural noun, which is incorrect. The correct singular would be 'a monologue'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “monologues”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.