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

The landscape first took shape more than 320 million years ago, as wind and rain slowly eroded the forest’s vast sedimentary rock deposits. —Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026

The exhibition features ceramics made of clay and soft sedimentary rock by contemporary artist Echo Morgan. —Alyson Rodriguez, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026

For centuries, Lake Maracaibo’s environs were known for natural seepage of oil rising to the surface from sedimentary rock, a phenomenon also seen in sites like Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits. —Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026

Don’t bother looking for fossils; almost no sedimentary rock has had time to form. —Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sedimentary

• alimentary
• complimentary
• documentary
• parliamentary
• rudimentary
• supplementary
• testamentary
• integumentary
• uncomplimentary
• unparliamentary
• interparliamentary
• metasedimentary

Kids 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