What this suffix does
-monger names a merchant (fishmonger, normal in British English) or, much more commonly today, someone who spreads something harmful: warmonger, scaremonger.
ESEN
Suffix · forms nouns
-monger
From Old English "mangere" (dealer, trader): forms nouns for traders and — more powerfully — spreaders of harmful things. Warmonger, scaremonger, fishmonger, ironmonger.
In Spanish: comerciante de / propagador deIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Today it is almost always negative
New -monger combinations are almost always negative: "fearmongering", "warmongering". The neutral "merchant" sense only survives in a handful of British words like fishmonger.
How it is formed
Noun + monger. Produces nouns for traders or spreaders of something.
- literal trade (British English)fish = fishmongeriron = ironmongercheese = cheesemongercoster (cart) = costermonger
- pejorative spreaderwar = warmongerscare = scaremongerhate = hatemongerrumor = rumormongergossip = gossipmongerscandal = scandalmonger
- historical/literarywhore = whoremongeriron = ironmongercoster = costermonger
In modern English, new -monger coinages are almost always pejorative: "fearmongering," "warmongering." The neutral trade sense survives only in a handful of British English words.
How it is pronounced
-monger/mʌŋɡər/ · rhymes with hunger
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Base word
With -monger
In a phrase
- warwarmongerThe senator was accused of being a warmonger.
- scarescaremongerThe news channel was criticized for being a scaremonger.
- fishfishmongerWe bought fresh salmon from the fishmonger at the market.
- ironironmongerThe ironmonger sold nails, tools, and hardware.
- hatehatemongerThe platform banned the account for spreading hate as a hatemonger.
- rumorrumormongerNobody trusts him, he's the office rumormonger.
- cheesecheesemongerThe cheesemonger let us try three kinds of cheese.
- coster (cart)costermongerIn old London, a costermonger sold fruit from a cart.
- scandalscandalmongerThe tabloid is run by scandalmongers looking for gossip.
- gossipgossipmongerShe's the biggest gossipmonger in the office.
Common mistakes
scaremonger = someone who is easily scared
scaremonger = someone who SPREADS fear to manipulate others
"scaremonger" is active, not passive. A scaremonger deliberately creates and spreads fear, usually for political or commercial gain. NOT someone who is afraid, but someone who makes others afraid.
fishmonger is old-fashioned and nobody uses it
fishmonger is still in everyday use in British English
"fishmonger" (and "ironmonger") are still current in British English — you see them on shop signs, in menus, and in everyday speech. "I got this salmon from the fishmonger on the high street." Only in American English have they been largely replaced.
A trick to remember it
Picture a street vendor who won't stop pushing their product until it's annoying: a fishMONGER shouts to sell fish at the market. Today it's almost always shouting to sell something bad: warMONGER, fearMONGER.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
A "scaremonger" is someone who...
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
"Fishmonger" is...
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -monger mean in English?
The suffix -monger from Old English "mangere" (dealer, trader): forms nouns for traders and — more powerfully — spreaders of harmful things. Warmonger, scaremonger, fishmonger, ironmonger. In Spanish it usually maps to comerciante de / propagador de.
How do you pronounce -monger?
The ending -monger is pronounced /mʌŋɡər/ · rhymes with hunger. For example, "warmonger".
Can you give an example of a word with -monger?
"war" becomes "warmonger". It is a typical example of the -monger suffix.
Other useful suffixes
-eer
From French "-ier": forms nouns for a person who works with something or carries out an activity. Pioneer, privateer, profiteer, buccaneer, engineer.
-ster
From Old English "-estre": forms person nouns associated with an activity or group. Trickster, gangster, prankster, youngster, spinster, mobster, hipster.
-wright
From Old English "wryhta" (worker, maker): forms nouns for skilled craftsmen and makers. Playwright, wheelwright, shipwright, wainwright, millwright.
Learn every English suffix
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