Stone Age

1 of 2

noun

1

: the first known period of prehistoric human culture characterized by the use of stone tools compare mesolithic, neolithic, paleolithic

2

: a stage in a human institution or field of endeavor regarded as primitive, outmoded, or obsolete

the Stone Age of information handling before computers

Stone Age

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or resembling the culture of the Stone Age especially in the use of stone implements

modern Stone Age peoples

our Stone Age ancestors

2

: primitive, outmoded, or unsophisticated (as in ideas or technology) by currently accepted standards

… marauding mercenaries with Stone Age political ideas.

—Robert Moss

using a Stone Age camera

Synonyms of Stone Age

Adjective

• archaic
• obsolete
• medieval
• antiquated
• prehistoric
• rusty
• old

Examples of Stone Age in a Sentence

Adjective

Stone Age attitudes about the raising of children.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some experts believe that evidence of string-making by Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago indicates that our Stone Age ancestors had an understanding of mathematical concepts like pairs and sets, as well as other basic numeracy skills. —Jasmin Sykes, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026

Stone Age painters frequently included the woolly rhino in their work, including on cave paintings in France’s Chauvet–Pont d’Arc dating back about 30,000 years. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026

Traces of plant toxins were found on quartz Stone Age arrowheads in South Africa, the oldest known example, suggesting paleolithic hunters had more sophisticated techniques than previously thought. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 8 Jan. 2026

Here was a human elbow joint, burned and fractured, preserved in sediments full of debris from the daily lives of Stone Age hunter-gatherers. —Elizabeth Sawchuk, The Conversation, 1 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Stone Age

• disengage
• interstage
• macrophage
• multistage
• alienage
• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• downstage
• engage
• enrage
• leafage

Kids Definition

Stone Age

noun

: the oldest period in which human beings are known to have existed that is marked by the use of stone tools