obelisk
Americannoun
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a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone, usually monolithic and having a pyramidal apex.
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something resembling such a shaft.
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an obelus.
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Printing. dagger.
noun
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a stone pillar having a square or rectangular cross section and sides that taper towards a pyramidal top, often used as a monument in ancient Egypt
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printing another name for dagger
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obelisk
1540–50; < Latin obeliscus < Greek obelískos small spit, equivalent to obel ( ós ) spit, pointed pillar + -iskos diminutive suffix
Explanation
Next time you visit the nation’s capital, you can wow tourists by telling them the Washington Monument is an obelisk — a tall, narrow stone pillar that tapers to a point at the top and commemorates an important person or event. Obelisks were all the rage in ancient Egypt and still in vogue in Rome’s heyday. The Egyptians associated the skinny four-sided monoliths with the sun god Ra and thought they looked like the sun’s rays shining down. Herodotus was among the first writers to describe obelisks, and it’s to him that we owe the word; it comes from the Greek obelos, meaning “nail” or “pointed pillar.” History buffs can still spot obelisks, also called “Cleopatra’s Needles,” everywhere from Myanmar to Manhattan.
Vocabulary lists containing obelisk
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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The Graveyard Book
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Farewell to Manzanar
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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.
Despite having built an obelisk of skulls, Dr. Kelson is one of the few remaining uninfected who has lost neither his reason nor his soul.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
The 92-year-old Pistoletto's most famous work, Il Terzo Paradiso, comprises a three-metre-tall mirrored obelisk and a series of blocks tracing out the mathematical symbol for infinity in the sand.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
As an obelisk, the Washington Monument serves as a reminder of Rome’s victory over Egypt.
From Salon • Aug. 12, 2025
The rock formation known as Kachina Woman rises like an obelisk out of a cool green canyon.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2023
Four of the groups were told they would pull the obelisk until it was upright.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
