monolith

American  

[mon-uh-lith] / ˈmɒn ə lɪθ /

noun

• monoliths
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• monolithism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monoliths
  plural

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

See Examples For:

monolith monoliths

Evercore ISI analyst Kirk Materne wrote in a Thursday note that the software sector is not a monolith, and called out some companies showing especially strong signs of AI-related momentum.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

She left her backcountry campsite about 4:30 a.m. to reach Half Dome by 6 a.m., catching the sunrise at 8,800-feet elevation from the granite monolith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

In the first experiment, the researchers placed a large crystal, known as the monolith, beside a regular rock of similar size.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Sprouting eyes, wings, beaks, the slender monolith seemingly rotates and billows as it rises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

Lit- de by little, as they approached along Michigan Avenue, he began to be aware of a monolith looming in the distance, a building like a gigantic church organ, pipes running into die sky.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

All-night broadcasting had not been proven as a business model in an industry dominated nationally by corporate monoliths like ABC, NBC and CBS, where news programming was something that happened on a set schedule.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Yet tourists might find themselves entirely alone at Cromeleque dos Almendres which along with the smaller and less-visited Cromeleque de Vale Maria do Meio are mysterious mini-Stonehenge circles of planted stone monoliths.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

At regular intervals divers found large granite standing stones – or monoliths – protruding above the wall in two parallel lines.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

Research shows there has been a sharp increase in the number of independent booksellers, even though monoliths like Amazon still reign supreme.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2024

Not like the rusting monoliths of the Accelerated Age, but still, it loomed over them.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi