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 was the lunar monolith in front of them that gently redirected their small vessel of life around the natural satellite and toward home.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

However, “the software market is trading like a monolith and investors are largely not differentiating risk profiles, competitive positioning and fundamentals of specific companies,” Bhatia noted.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 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

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