What does monumentally mean?
Monumentally is an adverb derived from monumental. It means to an exceptionally great degree or in a way marked by striking scale, importance, or impact. Its most familiar use intensifies an adjective: a scheme may be monumentally successful, while a performance may be monumentally bad or ambitious. The word therefore suggests a magnitude greater than the ordinary intensified form very or extremely, although the scale it implies is often rhetorical rather than literally measurable. Monumentally is especially common in journalism, cultural criticism, political commentary, and formal evaluation, where concise emphasis is useful. It can be used seriously or ironically: “monumentally stupid” may express contempt, while “monumentally ambitious” can celebrate scale or gently suggest excess. Unlike the adjective monumental, which often describes something resembling a monument or having lasting historical importance, monumentally normally describes the degree or manner of an outcome, effort, or achievement. It is understood in both British and American English.
adverbIn a manner or to a degree that is very great, striking, or consequential; hugely.
- To an exceptionally great extent or degree.
- In a manner characterized by great scale, prominence, or importance.
"The restoration was monumentally successful in reviving the historic district."
"The novel is monumentally ambitious, attempting to portray an entire century of social history."
"The policy failed monumentally, causing consequences that reshaped the country's economy."
Monumentally reaches back to Latin monere, “to remind or warn”—the original purpose of a monument was to make people remember.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does monumentally come from?
Monumentally was formed in modern English by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to monumental. Monumental derives from Latin monumentalis, an adjective based on monumentum, meaning “monument” or “record,” which in turn comes from monere, “to remind or warn.” The same Latin root underlies monument, monumental, and monumentalism, whose senses all develop from the idea of something made to endure or prompt remembrance.
How monumentally is actually used
Formal and emphatic, especially in journalism, political commentary, and cultural criticism. It may be sincere or ironic, and it often conveys a degree of scale or failure greater than the more neutral intensifiers very and extremely.