bemonster means to make monstrous or like a monster; make hideous; deform. It carries an Arena rating of 1580, earned across 37 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bemonster ranks #579 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,056 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #2,599 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #2,913 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “bemonster” is a great word
BEMONSTER — [Verb] To make monstrous or hideous in form, or to regard or treat someone as a monster. From the English prefix be- (thoroughly, about, over) + monster (from Latin monstrum, "portent, monster"). Unlike "deform," which distorts natural shape, or "demonize," which portrays moral wickedness, to bemonster is to enact a total transmutation that merges outer horror with inner judgment. It is the propaganda poster that twists a human face into a bestial caricature; the whispered rumor that thickens a neighbor's skin into scales; the corrosive gaze that sees only a beast in a familiar face—the cruel art of making the feared thing tangible, and thus exiling it from human compassion.
Etymology
From be- + monster.
verb
- To make monstrous or like a monster; make hideous; deform.e.g.“Thou changed and self-cover’d thing, for shame!
Bemonster not thy feature!” — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, publishe
- To fill or cover with monsters.
- To regard or treat (someone) as a monster; to call (someone) a monster.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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