definitions

microscopic

[ mahy-kruh-skop-ik ]
/ ˌmaɪ krəˈskɒp ɪk /
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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

imperceptible, teeny, infinitesimal, negligible, atomic, invisible, minuscule, diminutive, little, minute, wee

Nearby words

microreproduction, microrespirometer, micros., microsatellite, microscope, microscopic, microscopic anatomy, microscopium, microscopy, microsecond, microsegment
Also mi·cro·scop·i·cal.

Origin of microscopic

First recorded in 1670–80; microscope + -ic

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 Forms

microscopically, 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

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.