Trivia Time

In ancient Greek theater, what did the word monologue originally describe?

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monologue

American  

[mon-uh-lawg, -log] / ˈmɒn əˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

Or monolog

noun

• monologues
  plural

1. a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker.

   a comedian's monologue.

2. a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation.

3. any composition, as a poem, in which a single person speaks alone.

4. a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy.

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monologue British  

/ ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡ /

noun

1. a long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, esp when alone

2. a dramatic piece for a single performer

3. any long speech by one person, esp when interfering with conversation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monologist
  noun
• monologuist
  noun
• monology
  noun
• monologic
  adjective
• monological
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monologues
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monologue

1615–25; < French, on the model of dialogue dialogue; compare Greek monólogos speaking alone

Explanation

A monologue is a speech delivered by one person, or a long one-sided conversation that makes you want to pull your hair out from boredom. The Greek root word monologos translates to “speaking alone,” and that’s a monologue: one person doing all the talking. In theatre, sometimes a character has a monologue that they perform. You might have an internal monologue where you talk to yourself to better understand some dilemma. Some people talk forever in a constant monologue, never letting you speak. If two people talk back and forth, it’s a dialogue, which is different and probably more fun for everyone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monologue monologues

The character hovered beside Kimmel during his Thursday monologue and offered to handle everything from his social media posts to his personal needs.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Still, Gervais remained undeterred, doubling and tripling down on his comedy and delivering a since-viral “I don’t care” monologue during his final hosting stint.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

The lead single from her second album, That Day, was a free-verse stream-of-consciousness that sounded like a manic inner monologue.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Last year, the company stopped holding earnings conference calls with analysts—typical for public companies—opting instead to have Ishbia answer pre-gathered questions in a monologue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Alertly Biff picked up fragments of his monologue.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

You can’t really blame them if their response to the self-absorbed internal monologues of an unreliable narrator is, Oh, boo hoo.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

On one weekend in Tokyo, hundreds of visitors flocked to a zine fair showcasing a wide range of handmade magazines in different sizes and formats -- some incorporating abstract designs, photography or personal monologues.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

During Colbert’s CBS run, he delivered more than 1,800 opening monologues, speaking directly to the audience in a comedy ritual that has defined the late-night genre since the early days of television.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

For the next 12 years, Colbert’s topical, opening monologues riffed heavily off the news, and that included healthy doses of satire about Trump the candidate or President Trump.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

His favorite parts are the long, dramatic monologues.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Related Words

• discourse
• harangue
• lecture
• sermon
• soliloquy
• speech