Little Ice Age
Americannoun
-
The period from about 1400 to 1900, characterized by expansion of mountain glaciers and cooling of global temperatures, especially in the Alps, Scandinavia, Iceland, and Alaska. The Little Ice Age followed the Medieval Warm Period.
-
See also Maunder minimum
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.
The weather improved as the Little Ice Age ended, and techne improved medicine, midwifery and sanitation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
In the cold snaps of the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries - part of the Little Ice Age - glaciers regularly advanced.
From BBC • Oct. 4, 2025
Willis noted that these two major flood events from ancient times occurred during a period of global cooling known as the Little Ice Age, which spanned roughly the the 14th to 19th centuries.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2024
After the onset of the Little Ice Age circa 1400, the same species compose nearly 80% of the pollen record, demonstrating an expansion of these forests as the climate cooled.
From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024
This coincided with a period of cold in Europe known as the Little Ice Age.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
