monumental

1 of 2

adjective

mon·​u·​men·​tal ˌmän-yə-ˈmen-tᵊl How to pronounce monumental (audio)
Synonyms of monumental
1
: serving as or resembling a monument : massive
monumental sculptures
also : highly significant : outstanding
a monumental painting that stunned the American public
2
: of or relating to a monument
modern monumental architecture
3
: very great
a monumental misunderstanding
monumentality
ˌmän-yə-mən-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce monumental (audio)
-ˌmen-
noun
monumentally
ˌmän-yə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce monumental (audio)
adverb

monumentality

2 of 2

noun

mon·​u·​men·​tal·​i·​ty
-ˌmen‧-, 
-lətē, 
-i
plural -es
: the quality or state of being monumental
differentiates modern design from the immobile and ponderous monumentality of the past—Lewis Mumford

Synonyms of monumental

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Adjective

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Examples of monumental in a Sentence

Adjective It's more than a mistake; it's a case of monumental stupidity. the monumental complexity of the issue Repairing the damage will be a monumental task. The class was about modern monumental architecture.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Chase’s Hexton Gallery, which works with the estate of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, is showing a drawing for his monumental Valley Curtain (1970–72), which ended up in Rifle, Colorado, though the artist had considered Aspen, said Chase. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 July 2026 Tønsberg and Borre At Borre, the Midgard Viking Centre sits beside the largest collection of monumental Viking Age burial mounds in Northern Europe. — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The projects included range from Aalto’s modest early works to later, more monumental experiments that still retained a sensitivity for materials, context, and humanist values. — News Desk, Artforum, 28 July 2026 The fire also left the company with the monumental task of removing approximately 85 million pounds of food, including meat, that had been kept inside the cold-storage warehouse. — Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for monumental

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of monumental was in 1596

Rhymes for monumental

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Browse Nearby Words

monument
monumental
monumentalism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Monumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monumental. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

monumental

adjective
mon·​u·​men·​tal ˌmän-yə-ˈment-ᵊl How to pronounce monumental (audio)
1
: of or relating to a monument
2
: serving as or resembling a monument : massive
also : highly significant : outstanding
3
: very great
monumental stupidity
monumentally
-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce monumental (audio)
adverb

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Nglish: Translation of monumental for Spanish Speakers

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