Monkeywrenching
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The commission of usually illegal but nonviolent acts of sabotage motivated by environmentalism. uncountable
"The solitary and relatively anonymous character of monkeywrenching gave that activity a peculiar role within the movement. To openly discuss specific actions was to invite arrest; in theory, Earth First!ers^([sic]) could not, therefore, discuss monkeywrenching activities in detail at their gatherings."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The solitary and relatively anonymous character of monkeywrenching gave that activity a peculiar role within the movement. To openly discuss specific actions was to invite arrest; in theory, Earth First!ers^([sic]) could not, therefore, discuss monkeywrenching activities in detail at their gatherings."
Etymology
From monkey wrench + -ing, popularized by environmental activist Edward Abbey in the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.