monolith

noun

mono·​lith ˈmä-nə-ˌlith How to pronounce monolith (audio)
Synonyms of monolith
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 73-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In some ways, the two parties form different cultures, though no group is a monolith. — Lisa Pavia-Higel, The Conversation, 27 May 2026 Kemp likes the way Byers uses his play to show the gay community is not a monolith. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2026 But emerging markets are not a monolith, and the dispersion between countries and sectors within the EM universe is enormous. — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026 Horkheimer and Adorno had concluded that advanced capitalism, far from being a technocratic monolith, had an inherent tendency toward chaos and madness. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for monolith

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of monolith was in 1836

Rhymes for monolith

See All Rhymes for monolith

Browse Nearby Words

monoliteral
monolith
monolithic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Monolith.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monolith. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

monolith

noun
mono·​lith ˈmän-ᵊl-ˌith How to pronounce monolith (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on monolith

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for monolith

Nglish: Translation of monolith for Spanish Speakers

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