monolith

noun

mono·​lith ˈmä-nə-ˌlith 

1

: a single great stone often in the form of an obelisk or column

A granite monolith stands at the center of the park.

2

: a massive structure

The 70-story monolith is one of Europe's tallest buildings.

3

: an organized whole that acts as a single unified powerful or influential force

The movie company grew into a monolith of the entertainment industry.

Examples of monolith in a Sentence

The new office building is a massive steel and concrete monolith.

The media monolith owns a number of networks.

Recent Examples on the Web

No generation is a monolith, but certain circumstances and patterns define the values, communication styles, priorities and preferences of each group in the workplace. —Dr. Shekinah "ki" Magee, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

That said, turning us into a monolith is dangerous. —Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 27 Nov. 2024

Its massive cliff face is among the largest granite monoliths in North America. —Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 4 Oct. 2024

Those three companies are all attached to healthcare monoliths: Cigna’s Express Scripts, UnitedHealth’s OptumRx, and CVS Caremark. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French monolithe, from monolithe consisting of a single stone, from Latin monolithus, from Greek monolithos, from mon- + lithos stone

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

monolith

noun

mono·​lith ˈmän-ᵊl-ˌith 

1

: a single great stone often in the form of a monument or column

2

: something large and powerful (as a political organization) that is thought to function as a unified whole

monolithic

ˌmän-ᵊl-ˈith-ik

adjective