Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Stone Age

American  

noun

  1. the period in the history of humankind, preceding the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, and marked by the use of stone implements and weapons: subdivided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.


Stone Age British  

noun

  1. a period in human culture identified by the use of stone implements and usually divided into the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic stages

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

  1. (sometimes not capitals) of or relating to this period

    stone-age man

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Stone Age Scientific  
  1. The earliest known period of human culture, marked by the use of stone tools.

  2. See Mesolithic Neolithic Paleolithic See Note at Three Age system


Stone Age Cultural  
  1. A period encompassing all of human history, perhaps several million years, before the Bronze Age. In the Stone Age, people learned to make and use stone tools and weapons.


Etymology

Origin of Stone Age

First recorded in 1860–65


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.

See Examples For:

Their companies really are capable of creating a souped-up chatbot that could take the world back to the Stone Age.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

Science Minister Hossein Simaei Saraf slammed the move as "'Stone Age' behaviour", an apparent reference to language used by US President Donald Trump when he threatened to send Iran back to the Stone Age.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

The results confirmed that the bison dates to the Upper Paleolithic, the later portion of the Old Stone Age when anatomically modern humans created many of Europe's most famous cave paintings.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

After bonding over a mutual appreciation for Queens of the Stone Age, Gatto joined Xcomm in late 2023.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

What games did our Stone Age ancestors play in the arena of history?

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com