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.

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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

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

   stone-age man

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of Stone Age

First recorded in 1860–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Stone Age

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 earlier group resembles Stone Age farming populations from northern France and Germany, while the later group shows strong genetic links to southern France and the Iberian Peninsula."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026

He observes that “geology is the beginning of technology,” which explains our use of phrases such as the Stone Age and the Bronze Age and, in the future, he believes, our current Sand Age.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 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

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