MONKEYS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

monkeys 1 of 2

noun

plural of monkey

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

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as in devils

an appealingly mischievous person come back here, you little monkey!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

monkeys

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of monkey

as in apes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of monkeys

Noun

Another example is how birds frequently follow monkeys through forests to feed on insects disturbed by their movements. — Cyril Grueter, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2026 Turner-Smith also shared videos of monkeys on the island, as well as the sights and hotel amenities. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026 Jayden Evans, 25, of Middle River, and Vernon Crowfey III, 32, of Baltimore, were arrested last month after a video surfaced showing women posing with exotic animals, including snakes and monkeys, at Towson Town Center. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026 In early 2025, the hospital’s ethics committee approved the clinical trial, before the final results of one of the preclinical studies on monkeys was released, Science reported. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 July 2026 In a first-of-its-kind comprehensive review published in the journal Primates, anthropologists at the University of Oxford explored various instances of monkeys and apes carrying, grooming, playing, and sometimes actually adopting other creatures. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026 But then Lily somehow intuits the core evolutionary idea behind a man competing at naked limbo with a group of monkeys, even though neither Kaylin as explainer nor Zac as performer got what Lisa’s drawing was conveying. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 July 2026 The director said Punch now lives among more than 60 monkeys on Monkey Mountain and has adapted well. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 The monkeys were likely both refugees from the booming population of rhesus macaques widespread in Silver Springs State Park, which is roughly 50 miles away, and surrounding areas. — Rylan Digiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys

Noun

But in its inclusions and exclusions, the doc lets viewers draw some conclusions about him and his own addictions to repeatedly telling stories in this vein.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, those with chronic addictions who are poor (because rich people with addictions are rarely as visible) will continue to be swept up, and left with a system riddled with false promises and real penalties.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of addictions

Noun

In 2025, two Tasmanian devils arrived at the Australian Outback exhibit.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Tasmanian devils suffer from Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a highly fatal cancer spread by biting, which has devastated their population and surprisingly arose twice.

— John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of devils

Verb

The track apes the softly anthemic approach of U2, Coldplay, and the National—until all of that elegant uplift topples like an overly ambitious wedding cake.

— Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
But if getting Andy back in the Runway fold feels a lot like getting her into it in the first film, that feeling will only persist, as the sequel apes the original feature nearly beat for beat, with some small swaps here and there.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of apes

Verb

Still, those details deserve more attention when a new site also copies campaign branding or asks for money.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
This rapid method copies the parasite’s genetic material until there’s enough to detect, rather than trying to grow the organism.

— Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of copies

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

Definition of rascals

Verb

In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.

— Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026
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

Definition of parodies

Cite this Entry

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“Monkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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noun

verb

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