Saturday, April 22, 2023

Mongering things (a comprehensive list of monger words)

English is a growing language with many quirks and niches.  For example, "-monger" as a suffix is way more common than most might expect.  Below is a list of -monger words that you are free to use in everyday speech and writing (if you have the opportunity).  I've purposefully listed them out of order to encourage a slow and bemused perusing rather than the experience of a cold dictionary.  However, d
efinitions below are provided reference-only and should not be considered as authoritative.

Note that I'll be adding to this list over time.  Also, if you found a monger word that is not on this list, please comment below.  

·    bookmonger - bookseller

·    cheesemonger - seller of cheese

·    lawmonger - one who practices of law

·    wondermonger - exploitor of strange or freakish things

·    noisemonger - performer of noisy music

·    doommonger prophesier of doom

·    panicmonger - spreader of panic

·    lovemonger - advocator of love; also fancymonger


·    starmonger - astrologer

·    ironmonger - seller of tools or the storage thereof; also toolmonger

·    eirmonger - seller of eggs

·    beermonger - seller of beer

·    questionmonger - asker of many questions

·    fruitmonger - seller of fruit

·    troublemonger - maker of trouble

·    woolmonger - seller of wool


·    hatemonger - pusher of hate against a person or group of people

·    balladmonger - composer of ballads

·    wordmonger -speaker or writer who communicates pretentiously

·    scandalmonger - spreader of gossip; also gossipmonger or newsmonger or sleazemonger or charactermonger

·    prayermonger - one who prayers without true devotion

·    gospelmonger - peddler of holy gospel

·    smutmonger - publisher of a tabloid or other sensationalized news; also sensationmonger

·    loanmonger - dealer of loans


·    fashionmonger - booster of fashion

·    racemonger - inciter of racial and ethnic tensions

·    cockmonger - procurer of cocks

·    peacemonger - one who is strictly pacifist

·    alemonger - seller of ale

·    whoremonger - enjoyer of whores

·    hypemonger - one who hypes something

·    carpetmonger - dealer of carpets


·    boroughmonger - trader of parliamentary seats of boroughs

·    woomonger - pusher of pseudoscientific practices and information

·    costermonger - seller of goods from a cart or stall in the streets; also costardmonger

·    woodmonger - seller of wood

·    phrasemonger - speaker of phrases that were coined by others

·    scaremonger - spreader of fear-based rumors

·    barbermonger - a vain poser

·    rumormonger - spreader of rumors


·    haymonger - dealer of hay

·    miraclemonger - one who pretends to create miracles

·    fellmonger - dealer of animal hides

·    versemonger - writer of verses

·    statemonger - one who is well-versed in politics

·    profitmonger - exhibitor of greed; also moneymonger

·    relicmonger - dealer of religious relics

·    meritmonger - one who depends on merit from good deeds in order to earn salvation; also secondary use of workmonger


·    rulemonger - one who is insistent that rules must be followed

·    questmonger - one who engages in frivolous litigation

·    powermonger - irresponsible wielder of power

·    placemonger - trafficker of appointments to places

·    lightmonger - installer of light fixtures

·    deathmonger - murderer of many people; also killmonger

·    pussymonger - pimp; also fleshmonger or muttonmonger

·    filthmonger - purveyor of obscenities


·    dramamonger - provoker of dramatic situations

·    warmonger - advocator for war; see sciencemonger for secondary use

·    systemmonger - one who indulges in the construction of systems

·    poisonmonger - peddler of poison

·    winemonger - seller of wine

·    fishmonger - seller of fish

·    mealmonger - seller of meals

·    diseasemonger - one who tries convince healthy or slightly ill people that their usually mild ailment urgently needs drug treatment


·    fearmonger - spreader of fear, or an alarmist

·    charitymonger - contributor of large sums of money to charities

·    spellmonger - caster of spells, or practitioner of magic; also magicmonger

·    cornmonger - dealer of grain

·    storymonger - teller of stories

·    opportunitymonger - opportunist, often seeking immediate action

·    pearmonger - seller of pears

·    wealthmonger - one who is rich


·    knowledgemonger - seeker or purveyor of knowledge for betterment

·    artmonger - artist, dealer or promoter of art

·    ideamonger - dealer of ideas

·    disastermonger - warner of foreseeable disaster

·    commoditymonger - merchant

·    firemonger - starter of fires

·    bribemonger - taker of bribes

·    treasuremonger - seeker of treasure


·    carnagemonger - creator of carnage

·    dreammonger purveyor of hope; also hopemonger; or supernatural seller of actual dreams

·    healthmonger - promoter of healthy eating and life-style

·    superstitionmonger - purveyor of superstition

·    fortunemonger - promoter of fortune

·    historymonger - historian

·    spacemonger - optimizer of storage space

·    informationmonger - collector of information


·    pleasuremonger - seeker of pleasure

·    spymonger - one who spies or engages in spycraft

·    lifemonger - controller of lifeforce as a magical ability

·    speechmonger - expounder of arguments in support of an ideology

·    peltmonger - dealer of pelts

·    seafoodmonger - seller of seafood

·    soulmonger - trapper of souls

·    slavemonger - trader of slaves


·    weaponmonger - dealer or collector of weapons

·    churchmonger - proselytizer of a given church, congregation or faith, often in a pushy manner; similar to cultmonger or sectmonger or religionmonger (see sciencemonger for secondary use of religionmonger)

·    dealmonger - haggler or negotiator 

·    coalmonger - dealer of coal

·    sexmonger - promoter or engager of promiscuous sex

·    thoughtmonger - thinker of many thoughts

·    contractmonger - negotiator of contracts

·    crimemonger - writer of crime stories


·    drugmonger - trafficker of drugs

·    educationmonger - strict adherent to fact-based education

·    energymonger - something that consumes energy in a non-green manner

·    musicmonger - seller of music

·    propertymonger - investor in real estate

·    weathermonger - meteorologist; or controller of weather by means of magic

·    sciencemonger - gamer within a 4X game who focuses on acquiring scientific discoveries for a science-based victory; also technologymonger; similar to secondary use of religionmonger (religion-based victory), warmonger (conquest-based victory), and also culturemonger (culture-based victory)

·    secretmonger - dealer of secrets


·    timemonger - controller of time and alternate realities

·    workmonger - one who works excessively; see meritmonger above for secondary meaning

·    pillmonger - practitioner of medicine; or a dealer of illegal drugs

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