microscopic

[ mahy-kruh-skop-ik ]

adjective

1. so small as to be invisible or indistinct without the use of the microscope: Compare macroscopic.

   microscopic organisms.

2. very small; tiny.
3. of, relating to, or involving a microscope:

   microscopic investigation.

4. very detailed; meticulous:

   a microscopic view of society.

5. suggestive of the precise use of the microscope; minute:

   microscopic exactness.

microscopic

/ ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpɪk /

adjective

1. not large enough to be seen with the naked eye but visible under a microscope Compare macroscopic
2. very small; minute
3. of, concerned with, or using a microscope
4. characterized by or done with great attention to detail

Derived Forms

• ˌmicroˈscopically, adverb

Other Words From

• micro·scopi·cal·ly adverb
• nonmi·cro·scopic adjective
• nonmi·cro·scopi·cal adjective
• nonmi·cro·scopi·cal·ly adverb
• unmi·cro·scopic adjective
• unmi·cro·scopi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of microscopic¹

First recorded in 1670–80; microscope + -ic

Example Sentences

The X-ray microscopic analysis was then supplemented by further spectroscopic and microscopic examinations.

From Science Daily

Deconvolution aims to reduce blur, a certain type of image degradation introduced by the microscopic system used.

From Science Daily

The findings also cast the humble single-cell creatures in a new, more tantalizing light: They are not merely molecular machines packed in microscopic bodies, but they are also agents that can learn.

From Science Daily

These were all children who had received complete intravenous and then oral treatment for severe malaria, and all had cleared the parasite by microscopic examination.

From Science Daily

Sometimes, as in the entrancing microscopic world of watch repair, it’s just fingertips.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atomic
• imperceptible
• infinitesimal
• invisible
• minuscule
• negligible
• teeny