Monolithic

//ˌmɑ.nəˈlɪθ.ɪk// adj

adj ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or resembling a monolith.
  2. 2
    Consisting of a single piece of homogeneous material as opposed to a composite material or an assembly of multiple parts.

    "A monolithic chunk of titanium with facets for cutting, wrenching, and prying."

  3. 3
    Having a massive, unchanging structure that does not permit individual variation. figuratively

    "Mainstream culture is hardly the monolithic block that its caricaturization often implies."

  4. 4
    Of a single structure, a singular component; instead of an assembly. figuratively

    "Monolithic space stations only have a single station module."

  5. 5
    Consisting of a single program or codebase.

    "Monolithic kernels perform all operating system duties in kernel space."

Adjective
  1. 1
    characterized by massiveness and rigidity and total uniformity wordnet
  2. 2
    imposing in size or bulk or solidity wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
undiversifiedaccordantalikeall oneaustereautomatic

Example

More examples

"The Linux kernel is monolithic."

Etymology

From French monolithique. By surface analysis, monolith + -ic.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.