mo|noga|mous /mənɒ gəməs/
1 ADJ Someone who is monogamous or who has a monogamous relationship has a sexual relationship with only one partner. □ Do you believe that men are not naturally monogamous?
2 ADJ Monogamous animals have only one sexual partner during their lives or during each mating season.
mo|noga|my /mənɒ gəmi/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Monogamy is used to refer to the state or custom of having a sexual relationship with only one partner. □ People still opt for monogamy and marriage.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Monogamy is the state or custom of being married to only one person at a particular time. □ In many non-Western societies, however, monogamy has never dominated.
mono|gram /mɒ nəgræm/ (monograms ) N‑COUNT A monogram is a design based on the first letters of a person's names, which is put on things they own, such as their clothes.
mono|grammed /mɒ nəgræmd/ ADJ Monogrammed means marked with a design based on the first letters of a person's names. □ …a monogrammed handkerchief.
mono|graph /mɒ nəgrɑːf, -græf/ (monographs ) N‑COUNT A monograph is a book which is a detailed study of only one subject. [FORMAL ] □ [+ on ] …a monograph on her favourite author, John Masefield.
mono|lin|gual /mɒ noʊl I ŋgwəl/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Monolingual means involving, using, or speaking one language. □ …a largely monolingual country such as Great Britain.
mono|lith /mɒ nəl I θ/ (monoliths )
1 N‑COUNT A monolith is a very large, upright piece of stone, especially one that was put in place in ancient times.
2 N‑COUNT If you refer to an organization or system as a monolith , you are critical of it because it is very large and very slow to change, and it does not seem to have different parts with different characters. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ A deal between the two powerful institutions would have created a banking monolith.
mono|lith|ic /mɒ nəl I θ I k/
1 ADJ If you refer to an organization or system as monolithic , you are critical of it because it is very large and very slow to change, and does not seem to have different parts with different characters. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …an authoritarian and monolithic system.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something such as a building as monolithic , you do not like it because it is very large and plain with no character. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …a huge monolithic concrete building.
mono|logue /mɒ nəlɒg, [AM ] -lɔːg/ (monologues )
1 N‑COUNT If you refer to a long speech by one person during a conversation as a monologue , you mean it prevents other people from talking or expressing their opinions. □ Morris ignored the question and continued his monologue.
2 N‑VAR A monologue is a long speech which is spoken by one person as an entertainment, or as part of an entertainment such as a play. □ …a monologue based on the writing of Quentin Crisp.
mono|nu|cleo|sis /mɒ noʊnjuːklioʊ s I s/ N‑UNCOUNT Mononucleosis is a disease which causes swollen glands, fever, and a sore throat. [mainly AM ] in BRIT, usually use glandular fever
mo|nopo|lis|tic /mənɒ pəl I st I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you refer to a business or its practices as monopolistic , you mean that it tries to control as much of an industry as it can and does not allow fair competition.
mo|nopo|lize /mənɒ pəla I z/ (monopolizes , monopolizing , monopolized ) in BRIT, also use monopolise 1 VERB If you say that someone monopolizes something, you mean that they have a very large share of it and prevent other people from having a share. □ [V n] They are controlling so much cocoa that they are virtually monopolizing the market. □ [V n] Johnson, as usual, monopolized the conversation. ● mo|nopo|li|za|tion /mənɒ pəla I ze I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the monopolization of a market by a single supplier.
2 VERB If something or someone monopolizes you, they demand a lot of your time and attention, so that there is very little time left for anything or anyone else. □ [V n] He would monopolize her totally, to the exclusion of her brothers and sisters.
mo|nopo|ly /mənɒ pəli/ (monopolies )
1 N‑VAR [oft with poss] If a company, person, or state has a monopoly on something such as an industry, they have complete control over it, so that it is impossible for others to become involved in it. [BUSINESS ] □ [+ on ] …Russian moves to end a state monopoly on land ownership. □ [+ over ] …the governing party's monopoly over the media.
2 N‑COUNT A monopoly is a company which is the only one providing a particular product or service. [BUSINESS ] □ …a state-owned monopoly.
3 N‑SING If you say that someone does not have a monopoly on something, you mean that they are not the only person who has that thing. □ [+ on ] Women do not have a monopoly on feelings of betrayal.
mono|rail /mɒ noʊre I l/ (monorails ) N‑COUNT [oft by N ] A monorail is a system of transport in which small trains travel along a single rail which is usually high above the ground.
mono|so|dium glu|ta|mate /mɒ nəsoʊdiəm gluː təme I t/ N‑UNCOUNT Monosodium glutamate is a substance which is sometimes added to savoury food to make it taste better. The abbreviation MSG is also used.
mono|syl|lab|ic /mɒ noʊs I læ b I k/ ADJ If you refer to someone or the way they speak as monosyllabic , you mean that they say very little, usually because they do not want to have a conversation. □ He could be gruff and monosyllabic.
mono|syl|la|ble /mɒ noʊs I ləb ə l/ (monosyllables ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone speaks in monosyllables you mean that they speak very little, usually because they do not want to have a conversation. □ A taciturn man, he replied to my questions in monosyllables.