microcosm

[ mahy-kruh-koz-uhm ]

/ ˈmaɪ krəˌkɒz əm /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: microcosm / microcosmic on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

anything that is regarded as a world in miniature.

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called mi·cro·cos·mos

[mahy-kruh-koz-muhs, -mohs]. /ˌmaɪ krəˈkɒz məs, -moʊs/.

Origin of microcosm

1150–1200; Middle English microcosme<Medieval Latin mīcrocosmus<Greek mīkròs kósmos small world. See micro-, cosmos

OTHER WORDS FROM microcosm

mi·cro·cos·mic, mi·cro·cos·mi·cal, adjective

Words nearby microcosm

microcomputing, microconstituent, microcopy, microcoria, microcornea, microcosm, microcosmic salt, microcoustic, microcredit, microcrystal, microcrystalline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use microcosm in a sentence

I spoke with pawnbrokers across the country about what the business has been like in this unprecedented year, and the picture that emerged was a microcosm of the economy that flies under the radar for many.
It’s easy to assume pawnshops are doing great in the pandemic. It’s also wrong.|Emily Stewart|November 30, 2020|Vox
Hsieh wanted to create a microcosm of Silicon Valley that was infused with the ethos of Burning Man.
The complexity and brilliance of Tony Hsieh: a personal appreciation|Aimee Groth|November 30, 2020|Quartz
Artists are trying to make plurality work in these little microcosms.
With playhouses dark, interactive theater online is lighting things up|Peter Marks|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
In some ways, the boycott was a microcosm for how some advertisers see inclusive media buying.
‘Clearly underinvesting’: Some of the world’s biggest marketers pledge to direct more media dollars to minority-owned business|Seb Joseph|October 23, 2020|Digiday

Schools really are their own microcosm where you have a lot of individuals from different areas in the community coming in.
When Can Schools Safely Reopen? The Answer Is Part Science, Part Guesswork.|Kaleigh Rogers (kaleigh.rogers@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 19, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
But what happens at Winchester University is a microcosm of the cruel world beyond its be-crested gates.
‘Dear White People’ Is the Race Movie America Didn’t Know It Needed|Rawiya Kameir|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I begin to observe that it sounds as if Sully is in microcosm what Newman himself…but that is as far as I get.
The Stacks: The Eyes of Winter: Paul Newman at 70|Peter Richmond|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The way he approaches his sexual escapades is only a microcosm of his general douchebag approach to life.
Adam Levine Is Off the Market… Thank God|Emily Shire|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Altogether, the monks, the Dukes, and the winemakers created a microcosm the influence of which can still be felt today.
The Next UNESCO World Heritage Site: Burgundy’s Pinot Noir Country?|Jordan Salcito|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Immigration reform is a hugely consequential microcosm of the national political debate.
Will Immigration Reform Be John Boehner’s Legacy?|John Avlon|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The broad-beamed budgerow presented a strangely accurate microcosm of India at that moment.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
We grant that man is a very complex machine, a microcosm peopled with possibilities of which we can understand but little.
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology|St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt) Seymour
Maimonides knew Joseph ibn Zaddik favorably, but he was not familiar with the "Microcosm."
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik
Man is called "Microcosm," a world in miniature, because he has in him represented all the elements of the universe.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik
We must now review briefly the practical part of Ibn Zaddik's philosophy as it is found in the fourth part of the "Microcosm."
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik

British Dictionary definitions for microcosm

microcosm

microcosmos (ˌmaɪkrəʊˈkɒzmɒs)

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌkɒzəm) /

noun

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

man regarded as epitomizing the universe

Compare macrocosm

Derived forms of microcosm

microcosmic or microcosmical, adjective

Word Origin for microcosm

C15: via Medieval Latin from Greek mikros kosmos little world

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for microcosm

microcosm

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.)

microcosm

Origin of microcosm

OTHER WORDS FROM microcosm

Words nearby microcosm

Words related to microcosm

How to use microcosm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for microcosm

microcosmos (ˌmaɪkrəʊˈkɒzmɒs)

Derived forms of microcosm

Word Origin for microcosm

Cultural definitions for microcosm