Holocene
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
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The more recent of the two epochs of the Quaternary Period, beginning at the end of the last major Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. It is characterized by the development of human civilizations.
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Also called Recent
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See Chart at geologic time
Etymology
Origin of Holocene
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About 7,300 years ago, it produced the largest known volcanic eruption of the Holocene, the current geological epoch, which began roughly 11,700 years ago.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the following years, that surprise broadened into a question: “What are so many dogs doing in the visual arts from the Holocene 12,000 years ago to the present?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
By analyzing ancient sediment layers from lakes on K'gari, located off Queensland's south eastern coast, scientists uncovered signs of a major drying period about 7,500 years ago during the middle Holocene.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026
Soil erosion measurements indicate that it likely formed during the early-to-mid Holocene -- the geological interval that began at the end of the last ice age roughly 11,700 years ago.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2025
Although the event occurred in the early Holocene epoch, when global temperatures were naturally higher than during the last Ice Age, the same physical processes are relevant today.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
