microbiology
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of microbiology
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How does microbiology compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Microbiology is the study of very small things, both living and nonliving. If you're fascinated by looking at tiny organisms through a microscope, you should take a class in microbiology. If your job involves microbiology, you're probably a microbiologist, a scientist who studies microorganisms and other microscopic things. Notice the prefix micro- in all of those words? It means "extremely small," from the Greek root mikros, "small or slight." Add this to biology, "the science of living things," and you get microbiology. This branch of science involves looking closely at fungi, viruses, parasites, bacteria, and other microbes.
Vocabulary lists containing microbiology
Words to Live By: Bio
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bio
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Microbiology - High School
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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.
“These viruses are also what are called ‘low incidence, high consequences,’” said Robert Cross, a hantavirus researcher and assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Thermo Fisher on Monday said the microbiology business, which provides antimicrobial susceptibility testing and culture media solutions for clinical, pharmaceutical and food-safety testing, generated $645 million in revenue last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Nineteen-year-old Reyhaneh, who is studying microbiology at the University of Tehran, also holds a photograph of the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
"This is a huge public health crisis in the making," said Covarrubias, who is also an assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2026
The nutrients, while suitable for the comfortable environment of a university microbiology laboratory, were not designed for the arid polar wasteland.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
