Little Ice Age

noun

: an episode of glacial expansion whose maximum extension occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries

Examples of Little Ice Age in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the Little Ice Age set in early in the 14th century, and temperatures dropped in the Northern Hemisphere, the Norse were not equipped to adjust to the changing conditions. — Susan A. Kaplan, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2026

Our website is full of erudite and fascinating blog posts and essays on everything, from Ötzi the Iceman to the Little Ice Age. — JSTOR Daily, 2 Dec. 2025

The cause of the Little Ice Age is unclear, but volcanic activity belching volcanic ash high into the atmosphere and blocking sunlight is one of the most likely explanations. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2025

The moa’s passing and the arrival of the Little Ice Age pushed those proto-Maoris to the more temperate North Island, leading to what evolved into the Maori culture of modern times. — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

At the time, the area was undergoing a colder climatic period called the Little Ice Age. — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 June 2025

Pollen from hardwood tropical trees increased, indicating vegetation rebounded even as rainfall declined during the Little Ice Age between the 14th and mid-19th centuries. — Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe, The Conversation, 20 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Little Ice Age

• bacteriophage
• alienage
• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• downstage
• engage
• enrage
• leafage
• messuage
• offstage
• onstage