monolithic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a monolith.
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made of only one stone.
a monolithic column.
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consisting of one piece; solid or unbroken.
a boat with a monolithic hull.
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constructed of monoliths or huge blocks of stone.
the monolithic monuments of the New Stone Age.
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characterized by massiveness, total uniformity, rigidity, invulnerability, etc..
a monolithic society.
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Electronics. of or relating to an integrated circuit formed in a single chip.
adjective
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of, relating to, or like a monolith
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characterized by hugeness, impenetrability, or intractability
a monolithic government
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electronics (of an integrated circuit) having all components manufactured into or on top of a single chip of silicon See hybrid
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of monolithic
Explanation
When something is monolithic it's big, and made of one thing. A large piece of stone jutting from the earth is a monolith, and Detroit's economy when it depended entirely on the auto industry was monolithic. Broken into its roots mono and lithic, monolithic means simply "one stone." When monolithic is used to describe something societal — like a religion or an organization — it has a slightly negative connotation. For example, a monolithic society is rigid and homogenous, not open to new ideas. Being monolithic is good for rocks, but not so good for groups of people.
Vocabulary lists containing monolithic
The Pearl
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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Dune
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because the silicon layers retain their crystalline quality, the resulting devices maintain strong performance and reliability while remaining safely within the thermal budget required for monolithic integration.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
Extraordinary monolithic structures were to help bring forth new technological marvels not just for the Kingdom but for the world.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Over and over again, Turner shook up established industries by invading quickly and expanding options for consumers, while railing against monolithic competitors who were less daring or nimble than his maverick Turner Broadcasting System.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Its monolithic character has caused some to call it Brutalist, although it lacks the ponderous dignity of Cold War Brutalism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
But ahead were the naked granite mountains, rising out of erosion nibble and standing monolithic against the sky.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
