Cretaceous
adjective
Cre·ta·ceous
kri-ˈtā-shəs 
: of, relating to, or being the last period of the Mesozoic era characterized by continued dominance of reptiles, emergent dominance of angiosperms, diversification of mammals, and the extinction of many types of organisms at the close of the period
also
: of, relating to, or being the corresponding system of rocks see Geologic Time Table
Cretaceous
noun
Examples of Cretaceous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While in the field with his students, Cotter says their main focus is often Cretaceous or glacial geology.
—
Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Sep. 2024
Scholars, prior to the coelacanth’s rediscovery in 1938, presumed that the coelacanth had gone extinct during the late Cretaceous period, 65-70 million years ago.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
Intact fossils offer window to the past The fossils date back 66 million to 72 million years in the late Cretaceous Period.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024
New pterosaur remains from the Late Cretaceous of Afro-Arabia provide insight into flight capacity of large pterosaurs
Curator at Michigan’s Museum of Paleontology.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024
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Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Sep. 2024
Scholars, prior to the coelacanth’s rediscovery in 1938, presumed that the coelacanth had gone extinct during the late Cretaceous period, 65-70 million years ago.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
Intact fossils offer window to the past The fossils date back 66 million to 72 million years in the late Cretaceous Period.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024
New pterosaur remains from the Late Cretaceous of Afro-Arabia provide insight into flight capacity of large pterosaurs
Curator at Michigan’s Museum of Paleontology.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Cretaceous
Dictionary Entries Near Cretaceous
Cite this Entry
“Cretaceous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cretaceous. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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Cretaceous
adjective
Cre·ta·ceous
kri-ˈtā-shəs
: of, relating to, or being the last period of the Mesozoic era of geological history marked by the extinction of the dinosaurs at the close of the period
also
: relating to the corresponding system of rocks see geologic time
Cretaceous
noun
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