microcosm

American  

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

noun

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

• microcosmic
  adjective
• microcosmical
  adjective

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

After a decade there, Shotwell took a role at another space company, called Microcosm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Some of these women’s projects look like dead-end paths in retrospect; Hall’s hypermedia system Microcosm, for instance, was steamrolled by the web.

From The Verge • Mar. 5, 2018

That some wounds are yet to heal isn’t surprising for the author of The Microcosm.

From The Guardian • Jul. 23, 2017

"Threadbare: Clothes, Sex and Trafficking," released this month by Microcosm Publishing, gathers a collection of monthly reports that were originally featured on the news site Truthout.org as part of Moore's comics journalism series "Ladydrawers."

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2016

Accordingly, the "Microcosm" is divided into four parts.

From A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy by Husik, Isaac

Related Words

• earth
• nature