monkey
339
4.1
- noun
- /ˈmʌŋki/
- Informal
:
travieso
- When the teacher caught him throwing paper airplanes, she called him a mischievous monkey.
Everybody, it's the Couch monkey racing team.
- Everybody, it's the Couch monkey racing team.
Examples
-
They're good little girls, not sneaky little monkeys who run around all night.
Fiction book (1996) -
They're little monkey children.
-
Oh, my God, you sweet little monkey!
-
The monkeys in it gave all new meaning to the saying "Monkey see, monkey do."
Academic text (1999) -
Oh, do you like that cheeky monkey look on the back?
-
I am a monkey in a mailroom.
-
"Come on, you monkeys!" he bellowed, "Let an old man show you how to fish!"
Fiction book (1991) -
Hey, little monkey.
-
The little boy was a cheeky monkey, always getting into trouble and making everyone laugh.
-
Her playful antics made her friends describe her as a real monkey of the group.
Synonyms
54
3.5
A person, often a child, who acts in a playful, naughty way
43
6.0
A lively energetic child who runs and plays a lot
11
6.5
A person, often a child, who plays tricks and causes small trouble
7
8.7
A silly, friendly person who acts in a funny way
4
9.9
A person who plays tricks and causes small trouble
3
6.4
A child who plays tricks and behaves in a naughty way
1
9.9
A person who plays small jokes and often makes others laugh
1
8.2
A boy who is playful, energetic and a little naughty
1
8.2
A small child who makes trouble in a playful way
1
8.7
A playful person, often a child, who causes harmless trouble
1
9.6
A young person who is playful, noisy, and often breaks rules
A lively child who likes to climb and play noisy games
A person who behaves playfully and plays small tricks
A person who acts silly and playful
A playful name for a person who acts silly or naughty, often a child
A person who likes to make jokes or play small tricks to have fun
Idioms
- Informal
5
4.6
Playful mischief that can include small dishonest acts to trick or amuse people
- Offensive
3
8.4
Make someone look silly in front of other people by tricking or embarrassing them
- Informal
1
7.8
A person who is between two sides and cannot change what happens
1
8.6
Cause problems on purpose that stop a plan or process from working smoothly
Compounds
4
4.2
An animal that lives in trees in the Americas with long thin arms and a tail that grasps branches
2
3.8
A large monkey from Central and South American forests that makes very loud calls
- South African
1
7.0
A monkey that lives in trees in Africa with long silky fur and small or no thumbs
1
5.9
A monkey from Central and South America with a flat nose and often a tail that can hold things
- Offensive
1
8.2
A person who only writes routine computer code and has no say in decisions
- US
1
9.3
A large tropical tree with wide branches that give shade and seed pods eaten by animals
1
6.5
A West African monkey that lives in open grasslands with a greenish-grey back and a yellow tail
- Offensive
1
9.9
A person who answers many phone calls to help customers in a call center
1
5.5
A small active monkey with a long tail and dark face that lives in Central and South American forests
A rude, insulting name for people from France that calls them cowardly
- South African
A monkey that lives on the African savanna with greenish-grey fur and a yellow tail
- US
A sweet pull-apart pastry of baked dough pieces coated in butter, sugar and cinnamon
A small dog like a terrier from Europe with dark rough hair and a short snout with a small beard
- Specialized
A light narrow ladder on a ship that sailors climb to reach the monkey bridge
- South African
A large African tree with a very thick trunk that has fruit with a soft inside that people eat
- Specialized
A rare severe disease from green monkeys caused by a virus that can infect and kill people
- South African
A small slender African monkey with long back legs, a long tail, and hair around its face
A small monkey with reddish fur and a long tail that lives in West Africa and moves quickly
- Informal
A silly phrase people use to say something is confusing or absurd
- Indian
A monkey from Africa or Asia with a tail that cannot hold things and nostrils close together on the nose
- South African
A small African monkey with a black face and hands that lives in woods and grassland
- Slur
A rude name for an Asian person who acts like a Western person or who acts strangely
How Mischievous
- Offensive
69
4.1
3
6.4
- Informal
339
4.1
- Informal
54
3.5
- Informal
11
6.5
Surface Forms
Etymology
Monkey is used for a playful, mischievous person because people likened lively children to the animal that climbs and makes funny, cheeky moves. That's why calling someone a 'monkey' usually means they are naughty in a playful way.