microbial

American  

[mahy-kroh-bee-uhl] / maɪˈkroʊ bi əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to microbes.

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Explanation

Something that is microbial is related to or made up of tiny organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye, such as bacteria or viruses. A microbial infection is caused by such life forms. Microbial is the adjective form of the noun microbe, an older word for microorganism, "a very, very tiny living thing." A microbial colony is a large number of these tiny life forms living together. Microbial biotechnology uses microbes to create products or carry out processes useful to humans. For example, microbes are used in the production of medicines and fermented foods, such as yogurt. Microbial technology is also used in agriculture, environmental cleanup, and to create some biofuels.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

microbial

However, researchers identified statistically significant changes within the blueberry group in the abundance of genes associated with several gut microbial enzymes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

The overall abundance of microbial species, MetaCyc metabolic pathways, and short-chain fatty acid metabolites remained unchanged.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

It altered the makeup of the broader microbial community.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

They also used liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to analyze gut-derived fecal short-chain fatty acids, compounds produced through microbial activity.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Monod and Jacob, working with Arthur Pardee, a microbial geneticist from America, discovered three cardinal principles that governed the regulation of genes.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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