monolith

American  

[mon-uh-lith] / ˈmɒn ə lɪθ /

noun

1. an obelisk, column, large statue, etc., formed of a single block of stone.

2. a single block or piece of stone of considerable size, especially when used in architecture or sculpture.

3. something having a uniform, massive, redoubtable, or inflexible quality or character.

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monolith British  

/ ˈmɒnəlɪθ /

noun

1. a large block of stone or anything that resembles one in appearance, intractability, etc

2. a statue, obelisk, column, etc, cut from one block of stone

3. a large hollow foundation piece sunk as a caisson and having a number of compartments that are filled with concrete when it has reached its correct position

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Other Word Forms

• monolithism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of monolith

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin monolithus, from Greek monólithos “made of one stone”; equivalent to mono- + -lith

Explanation

When something is really huge, like a giant stone, building, or company, call it a monolith. You can also use it to describe a huge amount of work, like the monolith that is your 40-page term paper. The noun monolith comes from the Greek words monos, meaning “single” and lithos, meaning “stone.” Any large structures, like a factory that could cover many football fields in size, can be called a monolith. So can monuments that have little definition, like Stonehenge. Even companies that seem to be everywhere, their products and neon-signed restaurants covering the globe, can be called monoliths.

Example Sentences

It’s a pop culture monolith, spawning an Emmy-award winning South Park episode and the Leeroy Jenkins meme.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

“The group moving as a monolith creates some concern about how durable this rally is,” Materne wrote in a Thursday note, pointing out that small-cap and midcap software names have surged alongside large-cap stocks.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Embedded in this idea of girl power, which is tremendous, obviously, is that as people, we are not a monolith, particularly as women.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

One of the things I’m trying to make clear in my reporting is that Wikipedia is not a political monolith, one way or the other.

From Slate • Nov. 17, 2025

Chicago’s City Hall and County Building is a flat-roofed, eleven-story, gray-granite monolith that occupies an entire block between Clark and LaSalle north of the Loop.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama