Meanings
alternative monkey-wrenching · alternative monkey wrenching
- uncountableThe commission of usually illegal but nonviolent acts of sabotage motivated by environmentalism.
In reality, says one of his closest friends and an active monkey wrencher who prefers anonymity, “Ed was reporting what he saw around him. Truth be told, monkey wrenching is not even controversial in many areas of the Southwest.[…]
2010, James Bishop, Epitaph For A Desert Anarchist: The Life And Legacy Of Edward Abbey, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 1321 more example
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.
1995, Martha F. Lee, Earth First!: Environmental Apocalypse, Syracuse University Press, →ISBN, page 55Synonyms: ecodefence, ecotage
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe commission of usually illegal but nonviolent acts of sabotage motivated by environmentalism.
Origin
From monkey wrench + -ing, popularized by environmental activist Edward Abbey in the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
monkeywrenching. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkeywrenching
“monkeywrenching.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkeywrenching. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “monkeywrenching,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkeywrenching.
Source: monkeywrenching on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.