Definition

1. Noun:
   • A single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk): A large, single upright block of stone, especially one shaped into a pillar or monument.
   • A massive, uniform, and indivisible whole: Something, such as an organization or system, that is large, powerful, and undifferentiated, appearing as a single, often rigid, unit.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Physical Object):

  • The ancient monolith stood silently in the field for centuries.
  • Archaeologists studied the granite monolith to understand its purpose.

• Noun (Figurative Use):

  • The corporation was seen as an impenetrable monolith by its smaller competitors.
  • He argued that the political party should not be a monolith but a coalition of diverse views.

Advanced Usage

• "to be/stand like a monolith": To be massive, unchanging, and imposing.
  • The old bureaucracy stood like a monolith, resistant to all reform.
• Cultural/Historical Reference: Often used to describe prehistoric structures like those at Stonehenge or ancient obelisks.
  • The site is famous for its circle of towering monoliths.

Variants and Related Words

• Monolithic (adj): Constituting or acting as a single, often rigid, massive whole.
  • The building had a monolithic concrete facade.
  • They opposed the monolithic structure of the government.

Synonyms

• Megalith: A large stone used in prehistoric monuments.
• Obelisk: A tall, four-sided stone pillar that tapers to a point.
• Colossus: A statue that is much bigger than life size; a person or thing of enormous size or power.

Related Phrases

• Corporate monolith: A very large, powerful, and uniform corporation.
  • The startup aimed to disrupt the corporate monolith that dominated the industry.
• Cultural monolith: The incorrect perception of a culture as uniform and unchanging.
  • The documentary sought to dismantle the myth of a cultural monolith.

Related Idioms

• A monolith of tradition: Something that represents tradition in a massive, unchanging way.
  • The institution was considered a monolith of tradition, slow to adapt to new ideas.

Noun

1. a single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk)