microscopic
Americanadjective
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so small as to be invisible or indistinct without the use of the microscope.
microscopic organisms.
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very small; tiny.
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of, relating to, or involving a microscope.
microscopic investigation.
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very detailed; meticulous.
a microscopic view of society.
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suggestive of the precise use of the microscope; minute.
microscopic exactness.
adjective
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not large enough to be seen with the naked eye but visible under a microscope Compare macroscopic
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very small; minute
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of, concerned with, or using a microscope
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characterized by or done with great attention to detail
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of microscopic
First recorded in 1670–80; microscope + -ic
Explanation
Skin cells, bacteria, and some kinds of algae are all microscopic, or too small to see without a microscope. Use the adjective microscopic to describe things that are so tiny you can't see them. The word is a scientific term if you literally mean "can be seen with a microscope," although people use it sometimes to mean "really small," as in the phrase "Wow, your feet are microscopic." Mikros means "small" in Greek, and the scope part of the word comes from the Greek word skopein, "to examine."
Vocabulary lists containing microscopic
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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It's the Little Things: Synonyms for "Small"
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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.
Photonic chips manipulate light using microscopic structures called waveguides that are etched into a wafer.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
Beneath the trees, roots and microscopic organisms steadily release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as they break down organic material and fuel plant growth.
From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026
It manufactures neodymium magnets by pouring liquid alloy onto a rotating, cooled disk, then rapidly quenching and pulverizing it to freeze the delicate crystalline structure at a microscopic scale before it can grow.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
They have been the unlikeliest powerhouse imaginable for nearly two decades, perennially reaching the playoffs despite microscopic payrolls that consistently rank among the lowest in the sport.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
No larger than grains of dust, these transparent larvae swim about in the surface waters, feeding on the microscopic plant life of the plankton.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
