microscopic
[ mahy-kruh-skop-ik ]
/ ˌmaɪ krəˈskɒp ɪk /
adjective
so small as to be invisible or indistinct without the use of the microscope: microscopic organisms.Compare macroscopic.
very small; tiny.
of, relating to, or involving a microscope: microscopic investigation.
very detailed; meticulous: a microscopic view of society.
suggestive of the precise use of the microscope; minute: microscopic exactness.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Also mi·cro·scop·i·cal.
Origin of microscopic
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for microscopic
British Dictionary definitions for microscopic
microscopic
less commonly microscopical
/ (ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpɪk) /
adjective
not large enough to be seen with the naked eye but visible under a microscopeCompare macroscopic
very small; minute
of, concerned with, or using a microscope
characterized by or done with great attention to detail
Derived Formsmicroscopically, adverb
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
Word Origin and History for microscopic
microscopic
1732, "like a microscope;" see microscope + -ic. Meaning "of minute size" is from 1760s. Related: Microscopical; microscopically.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for microscopic
microscopic
[ mī′krə-skŏp′ĭk ]
adj.
Too small to be seen by the unaided eye but large enough to be studied under a microscope.
Of, relating to, or concerned with a microscope.
Being or characterized as exceedingly small; minute.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.