microscopic
Americanadjective
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so small as to be invisible or indistinct without the use of the microscope.
microscopic organisms.
-
very small; tiny.
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of, relating to, or involving a microscope.
microscopic investigation.
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very detailed; meticulous.
a microscopic view of society.
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suggestive of the precise use of the microscope; minute.
microscopic exactness.
adjective
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not large enough to be seen with the naked eye but visible under a microscope Compare macroscopic
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very small; minute
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of, concerned with, or using a microscope
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characterized by or done with great attention to detail
Other Word Forms
- microscopically adverb
- nonmicroscopic adjective
- nonmicroscopical adjective
- nonmicroscopically adverb
- unmicroscopic adjective
- unmicroscopically adverb
Etymology
Origin of microscopic
First recorded in 1670–80; microscope + -ic
Explanation
Skin cells, bacteria, and some kinds of algae are all microscopic, or too small to see without a microscope. Use the adjective microscopic to describe things that are so tiny you can't see them. The word is a scientific term if you literally mean "can be seen with a microscope," although people use it sometimes to mean "really small," as in the phrase "Wow, your feet are microscopic." Mikros means "small" in Greek, and the scope part of the word comes from the Greek word skopein, "to examine."
Vocabulary lists containing microscopic
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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It's the Little Things: Synonyms for "Small"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To demonstrate this precision, the researchers used a standard laser to create a microscopic monochrome portrait of Albert Einstein on a thin piece of the material, with points spaced just 700 nanometers apart.
From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026
His budget was microscopic compared with wealthy, star-studded franchises like the Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Its current dividend yield is a microscopic 0.16%.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
And as corny as that may seem, I implore you: If you have even one microscopic iota of curiosity, see this film.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
She seemed to have found a microscopic problem at the corner of her eye and dabbed at her mascara.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
