sedimentary
adjective
sed·i·men·ta·ry
ˌse-də-ˈmen-tə-rē 
-ˈmen-trē
1
: of, relating to, or containing sediment
sedimentary deposits
2
: formed by or from deposits of sediment
sedimentary rock
Examples of sedimentary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Researchers turned to the Grand Canyon’s layers of sedimentary rock to unlock secrets of this pivotal moment in the history of life, digging into the flaky, claylike shale of the Bright Angel Formation where most of the canyon’s Cambrian-era fossils have been found.
—
Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 24 July 2025
By studying sedimentary layers – rock formations stacked like layers of a cake – planetary geologists have pieced together a vivid tale of environmental change that dwarfs what Earth is currently experiencing.
—Ari Koeppel, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
The world produces so much plastic (more than 400 million metric tons a year, according to one estimate—roughly the combined weight of every human alive) that degraded nubbins coat the planet, detectable in the sedimentary depths of the Mariana Trench and the icy heights of Mount Everest.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 7 July 2025
Both current Mars rover missions – Curiosity climbing Mount Sharp in Gale crater and Perseverance exploring the river delta in Jezero Crater – have discovered carbonates, in the sedimentary rock that form Mount Sharp, and stretching tens of kilometers along the rim of Jezero.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 July 2025
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Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 24 July 2025
By studying sedimentary layers – rock formations stacked like layers of a cake – planetary geologists have pieced together a vivid tale of environmental change that dwarfs what Earth is currently experiencing.
—Ari Koeppel, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
The world produces so much plastic (more than 400 million metric tons a year, according to one estimate—roughly the combined weight of every human alive) that degraded nubbins coat the planet, detectable in the sedimentary depths of the Mariana Trench and the icy heights of Mount Everest.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 7 July 2025
Both current Mars rover missions – Curiosity climbing Mount Sharp in Gale crater and Perseverance exploring the river delta in Jezero Crater – have discovered carbonates, in the sedimentary rock that form Mount Sharp, and stretching tens of kilometers along the rim of Jezero.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sedimentary
Cite this Entry
“Sedimentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedimentary. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sedimentary
adjective
sed·i·men·ta·ry
ˌsed-ə-ˈment-ə-rē
-ˈmen-trē
1
: of, relating to, or containing sediment
2
: formed by or from sediment
sedimentary rock
compare igneous, metamorphic
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