monolith

noun

mono·​lith ˈmä-nə-ˌlith 

1

: a single great stone often in the form of an obelisk or column

A granite monolith stands at the center of the park.

2

: a massive structure

The 70-story monolith is one of Europe's tallest buildings.

3

: an organized whole that acts as a single unified powerful or influential force

The movie company grew into a monolith of the entertainment industry.

Examples of monolith in a Sentence

The new office building is a massive steel and concrete monolith.

The media monolith owns a number of networks.

Recent Examples on the Web

The polyamory community – like any group – isn't a monolith. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024

Your social network isn’t a monolith — it’s made up of individual people with different needs. —Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024

However Evangelicals also acknowledge that being a Democrat is not a monolith, and the same can be said of Republican faith based voters as well. —Earl Carr, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Many political organizing campaigns, whether party based or nonpartisan, have targeted Latinos as a whole, with messaging that has treated Latinos as a monolith. —Aisha Wallace-Palomares, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French monolithe, from monolithe consisting of a single stone, from Latin monolithus, from Greek monolithos, from mon- + lithos stone

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

monolith

noun

mono·​lith ˈmän-ᵊl-ˌith 

1

: a single great stone often in the form of a monument or column

2

: something large and powerful (as a political organization) that is thought to function as a unified whole

monolithic

ˌmän-ᵊl-ˈith-ik

adjective