microenvironment
Americannoun
noun
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The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light.
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Also called microhabitat
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of microenvironment
First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment
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.
The paper is titled "Armored macrophage-targeted CAR-T cells reset and reprogram the tumor microenvironment and control metastatic cancer growth."
From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026
Chroococcidiopsis releases oxygen, helping create a more supportive microenvironment for Sporosarcina pasteurii.
From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026
"Our findings reveal that the bone marrow microenvironment actively shapes the earliest stages of malignant evolution," said Guezguez, Principal Investigator in the Department of Hematology at UMC Mainz and co-senior author.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025
Despite the seriousness of these disorders, the contribution of the bone marrow microenvironment to their development has remained unclear.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025
Such a closed nest would have the advantage of greatly moderating the microenvironment within the nest, and would allow the animal within to remain comfortable with a minimum expenditure of energy.
From Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Douglas, Charles L.
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.
