monolithic
- 01 C1 Advanced
describes a large organisation or system that is very powerful and never changes.
characterised by massiveness, total uniformity, and a lack of individual variation or internal flexibility.
Simple“The company was a monolithic organisation where every office looked and acted exactly the same.”
In context“Critics argued that the monolithic political system stifled local innovation by imposing a single, rigid set of rules across the entire country.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
describes a computer program where all the parts are joined together in one big piece.
referring to a software architecture where the entire application is composed as a single, indivisible unit.
Simple“The team decided to break their monolithic software into smaller, easier pieces.”
In context“While monolithic architectures are simpler to deploy initially, they often become difficult to scale as the codebase grows in complexity.”
SynonymsAntonymsmodularmicroservices - 03 C2 Proficiency
made from a single, large piece of stone.
formed or carved from a single block of stone; relating to or resembling a monolith.
Simple“The ancient temple featured several monolithic columns carved from solid granite.”
In context“The archaeologists were fascinated by the monolithic statues, wondering how such massive single stones were transported across the desert.”
“Similar to during the COVID-19 pandemic, the monolithic ‘everybody must fall in line or you are a traitor’ loyalty test push has already begun, with attacks awaiting those who fall out of line.”
From French monolithique. By surface analysis, monolith + -ic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.