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

Similarly, Frankie Miranda, president of the Hispanic Federation, and Luis A. Miranda, Jr., chair of the Latino Victory Foundation, wrote in an op-ed for TIME earlier this month that Latino voters are and have never been a monolith and are varied in their priorities. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024

Of course, no state is a monolith and there remain variations in economic performance depending on a state's region. —Rob Wile, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024

Curious why Latino voters aren’t a political monolith? —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024

This week, various people who’ve worked for or with Adams and his administration cautioned me not to think of him and his circle as a monolith. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 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