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  

/ məˈnɒləɡɪst, mɒˈnɒlədʒɪ, ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡɪst, ˌmɒnəˈlɒdʒɪk, 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

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

“I guess my interior monologue is highly interpretable to people, and if you’re standing in a store and you see somebody really thinking and thinking, they’re like, ‘She must be restocking the shelves.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

In it, Pearson delivered an opening monologue about his desire to quit dancing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

After a dizzying cascade of revelations about his background, he delivers an exceptionally revealing monologue that strikes some late and very welcome grace notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

“Yes, I’m traveling solo,” I say, “but I’m older than I look,” and I almost launch into my monologue about Mom in the bathroom but then remember this guy isn’t a Greyhound employee.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

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

Over the past week Greenwater became a punchline for late-night monologues, and Antinone scrubbed his phone number from the internet after being inundated with angry voicemails accusing him of swimming in corrupt public cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

So when I read it, I was like, “Oh, OK. That’s like those five-page monologues that you don’t get very often to do for one character in one episode.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 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

When I was seven, I used to go to the town square to recite monologues from the works of Shakespeare for the adults of my community.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

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