1
as in addictions
a physiological need for certain drugs
I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devils
an appealingly mischievous person
come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of monkeys
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
The dirt eating was widespread, with males and females from different groups of monkeys partaking during multiple times of the year, and was generally associated with areas where there were more tourists.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
It can be spread to humans by animal hosts, such as rodents or monkeys, or between people.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
But the case also appears to highlight a lack of guidelines for assessing the health of monkeys before they are shipped for medical research.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
In fact, the German naturalist and polymath has been described as the person with more species – from penguins and monkeys to an orchid – and places named after him than any other human.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026
These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
The reason, we are told, is concern about disruption of access to a nearby sanctuary of vervet monkeys, the adorable offspring of escapees from a breeding farm in the 1940s.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Its rooftop bar, Baker & Able, is named for the two monkeys that went to space in the nose cone of an Army Jupiter missile in 1959.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
Although local officials routinely feed the monkeys at the Mediterranean destination seeds, fruits, and vegetables, visitors to the area are known to offer the monkeys snack foods, including chips, candy, and even ice cream.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
The dirt eating was widespread, with males and females from different groups of monkeys partaking during multiple times of the year, and was generally associated with areas where there were more tourists.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
It can be spread to humans by animal hosts, such as rodents or monkeys, or between people.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
But the case also appears to highlight a lack of guidelines for assessing the health of monkeys before they are shipped for medical research.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
In fact, the German naturalist and polymath has been described as the person with more species – from penguins and monkeys to an orchid – and places named after him than any other human.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026
These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
The reason, we are told, is concern about disruption of access to a nearby sanctuary of vervet monkeys, the adorable offspring of escapees from a breeding farm in the 1940s.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Its rooftop bar, Baker & Able, is named for the two monkeys that went to space in the nose cone of an Army Jupiter missile in 1959.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys
Noun
-
And for a growing contingent inside and outside of Washington, there are concerns over fraud, insider trading and gambling addictions.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
This grouped gambling with alcohol use disorder and other addictions.—
Alex Hogan,
STAT,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
More importantly, this origin story of a movie and a movement apes the joie de moviemaking and the jazzy looseness of the original to an absolutely amazing degree, replicating an off-the-cuff feeling that’s more than a second-hand buzz.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
There are high columns crawling with ivy, nearly 12 acres of rolling lawns, teensy windows with teensy shutters, and a diminutive pool house that apes a fairy-tale cottage.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cala Gaetano is the most breathtaking of all, both in awe and anxiety, where slippery steps without any barriers bring you to a secluded cove speckled with urchins.—
Kristina Kasparian,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On a party count, that is 4-3 for the Dems and the one-for-you, one-for-me bipartisan staffing copies the Board of Elections.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, its genetic material mutates.—
Kyle B. Enfield,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In the years since 2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Penn’s carved out a niche embodying big-talking, attention-grabbing rascals who say inappropriate things, then shrug their way through the consequences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ben Hania’s film before that, 2020’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin, parodies the art world’s fetishization of refugees.—
Alexander Durie,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.—
Adriana Gomez Licon,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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