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
For example, paleontologists discovered a sea turtle fossil in Colombia dating back at least 120 million years ago to the Cretaceous; meanwhile Odontochelys semitestacea, a fossil discovered in China, is a near-turtle relative dating back 220 million years ago.
—
Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
That means Cretaceous dinosaurs experienced a planet with 372 days in each year.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
The large theropod roamed what is now known as the northern part of Africa during the Cretaceous period.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024
But the Tyrannosaurus-Rex may not have been the only large carnivore ruling over North America during the Late Cretaceous period.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024
Camp Cretaceous showrunners and executive producers Scott Kreamer and Aaron Hammersley are back in the same creative roles for Chaos Theory, which also sees the return of EPs Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall.
—EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023
This fearsome creature was not the largest animal of the tropical Cretaceous oceans: It was outclassed by several species of enormous long-necked plesiosaurs, such as the 26-foot-long Callawayasaurus colombiensis.
—Santiago Flórez, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
Mammals Diversified Much More Rapidly 66 Million Years Ago
Why Did Primate Ancestors Live in Pairs?
Living in pairs towards the end of the Cretaceous age was likely a matter of life and death.
—Margherita Bassi, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024
The Hell Creek Formation documents this last part of the Cretaceous before impact, and for decades paleontologists have been debating whether the number of dinosaur species was in decline during that time.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024
Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
That means Cretaceous dinosaurs experienced a planet with 372 days in each year.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
The large theropod roamed what is now known as the northern part of Africa during the Cretaceous period.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024
But the Tyrannosaurus-Rex may not have been the only large carnivore ruling over North America during the Late Cretaceous period.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024
Camp Cretaceous showrunners and executive producers Scott Kreamer and Aaron Hammersley are back in the same creative roles for Chaos Theory, which also sees the return of EPs Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall.
—EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023
This fearsome creature was not the largest animal of the tropical Cretaceous oceans: It was outclassed by several species of enormous long-necked plesiosaurs, such as the 26-foot-long Callawayasaurus colombiensis.
—Santiago Flórez, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
Mammals Diversified Much More Rapidly 66 Million Years Ago
Why Did Primate Ancestors Live in Pairs?
Living in pairs towards the end of the Cretaceous age was likely a matter of life and death.
—Margherita Bassi, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024
The Hell Creek Formation documents this last part of the Cretaceous before impact, and for decades paleontologists have been debating whether the number of dinosaur species was in decline during that time.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Cretaceous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Cretaceous
Cite this Entry
“Cretaceous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cretaceous. Accessed 23 Apr. 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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