interglacial

noun

in·​ter·​gla·​cial ˌin-tər-ˈglā-shəl How to pronounce interglacial (audio)
: a warm period between glacial epochs
interglacial adjective

Examples of interglacial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our planet has always undergone cycles of warm and cold, ice ages and interglacials. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025 For the preceding two and a half million years, through the Pleistocene Epoch, the planet’s climate fluctuated between frozen stretches, called glacials, and warm interglacials. — Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of interglacial was in 1867

Rhymes for interglacial

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intergenomal
interglacial
interglyph
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Cite this Entry

“Interglacial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interglacial. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

interglacial

1 of 2 adjective
in·​ter·​gla·​cial
ˌint-ər-ˈglā-shəl
: occurring or relating to the time between glaciations

interglacial

2 of 2 noun
: a period of time of warm climate between glaciations
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