Un monstruo (del latín monstrum) es un concepto muy amplio ligado a la mitología y la ficción. Se aplica a cualquier ser que presente características, por lo general negativas, ajenas al orden regular de la naturaleza. Los monstruos se describen como seres híbridos que pueden combinar elementos humanos, animales, y necrológicos, así como tamaño anormal, y facultades sobrenaturales. El término se reserva para seres que inspiran miedo o repugnancia. También suele utilizarse como descalificativo, para referirse a personas cuyos actos van en contra de los valores morales propios. Asimismo, puede usarse de modo positivo, para referirse a personas que descollan en alguna disciplina.

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A monster is any creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is often hideous and may produce fear or physical harm by its appearance or its actions. The word "monster" derives from Latin monstrum, meaning an aberrant occurrence, usually biological, that was taken as a sign that something was wrong within the natural order. The word usually connotes something wrong or evil; a monster is generally morally objectionable, physically or psychologically hideous, or a freak of nature. It can also be applied figuratively to a person with similar characteristics like a greedy person or a person who does horrible things. The root of monstrum is monere—which does not only mean to warn but also to instruct, and forms the basis of the modern English demonstrate. Thus, the monster is also a sign or instruction. This benign interpretation was proposed by Saint Augustine, who did not see the monster as inherently evil, but as part of the natural design of the world, a kind-of deliberate category error. Well known monsters in fiction include Dracula, Frankenstein's creation, werewolves, mummies, and zombies, to name a few.

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