macroscopic

American  

[mak-ruh-skop-ik] / ˌmæk rəˈskɒp ɪk /

Also macroscopical

adjective

1. visible to the naked eye.

2. pertaining to large units; comprehensive.

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macroscopic British  

/ ˌməkrəʊˈskɒpɪk /

adjective

1. large enough to be visible to the naked eye Compare microscopic

2. comprehensive; concerned with large units

3. physics capable of being described by the statistical properties of a large number of parts

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Other Word Forms

• macroscopically adverb

Etymology

Origin of macroscopic

First recorded in 1870–75; macro- + -scope + -ic

Example Sentences

In the words of the committee, "the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit".

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

That means the puddle has more entropy than the crystals, and the system evolves to the macroscopic state with the greatest entropy.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 28, 2024

"We are doing the same experiment that has been done many times, but we are doing it in a quantum material. We are seeing that the quantum effects can lead to macroscopic changes."

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

The researchers confirmed the robots worked as programmed by varying the temperature and comparing the readouts with the values from a macroscopic thermometer placed in the solution.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 7, 2024

But no writer can leave the macroscopic organization of a text to chance.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker