microcosm

American  

[mahy-kruh-koz-uhm] / ˈmaɪ krəˌkɒz əm /

noun

microcosms plural

1. a little world; a world in miniature (opposed to macrocosm).

   The human body is a microcosm.

2. anything regarded as a representative, miniature version of a larger complex reality.

   The fictional small town of Black Rock, California, serves as a microcosm of America in the postwar era.

3. Environmental Science. a controlled experimental environment or ecosystem small enough to be housed in a laboratory and reproducing conditions that occur on a larger scale in the outdoors.

   Researchers have investigated the survival of this bacteria in saline solutions and seawater in laboratory microcosms.

4. human beings, humanity, society, or the like, viewed as an epitome or miniature of the world or universe.

   In the human microcosm, intellect is the deep spiritual center of being.

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microcosm British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌkɒzəm, ˌmaɪkrəʊˈkɒzmɒs /

noun

1. a miniature representation of something, esp a unit, group, or place regarded as a copy of a larger one

2. man regarded as epitomizing the universe

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microcosm Cultural  

1. A representation of something on a much smaller scale. Microcosm means “small world,” and in the thought of the Renaissance, it was applied specifically to human beings, who were considered to be small-scale models of the universe, with all its variety and contradiction. (Compare macrocosm.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• microcosmic
  adjective
• microcosmical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• microcosms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of microcosm

First recorded in 1150–1200; micro- ( def. ) + -cosm ( def. )

Explanation

When you think of microcosm, picture your home town inside a snow globe. The teeny tiny city is a microcosm of the one you live in. It is that place in miniature. Microcosm can be used to describe anything that is a miniature representation of something else. Think of a specific event that symbolizes the way things always seems to go, like the way a kind act by your mom can represent the caring relationship you have with her. That weekend with your partner that started with laughter but ended in tears? That's a microcosm of the whole lousy relationship. The dance where you regretted your outfit, giggled with friends, annoyed a teacher, and missed your chance at dancing with your crush? A microcosm of high school.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

microcosm microcosms

The play, which takes place in the period predating smartphones, offers a microcosm of American life, not unlike the Grover’s Corners of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” before our brains were all rewired.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

Hassabis’s life is a microcosm of the AI industry’s broader evolution.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

It is a microcosm of the world’s society, with one important exception: Nearly everyone attending the festival is well educated.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

"That felt like an appropriate microcosm for what's going on right now."

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

Farmville, the town that Dorothy left behind in the 1940s, had become in the 1950s a microcosm of Americas struggle over integration in its public schools.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

The undulating layers and microcosms that make up her jewelry’s signature “biomorphic” look extend into her fine art practice, as well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025

Her approach consists of combining aerosol and seawater samples with sediment records, satellite data and lab microcosms to pin down cause and effect.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2025

“So why would we not shine a spotlight on sports that are microcosms of the real world? What I love about ultimate is that mixed isn’t combining two things. Ultimate is mixed, at its core.”

From BBC ● May 6, 2024

“These tiny microcosms live together in a beautiful way and give space to each other,” she noted.

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023

The labouring sort of folk, the trades-people, and the landowners and county families, each form compact social microcosms.

From The Record of Nicholas Freydon An Autobiography by Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)

Related Words

• earth
• nature