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
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.
Sunlight is absorbed by chlorophyll, a large, complex molecule found in microscopic bodies called chloroplasts, which give plants their green color.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
In cancer, blood tests can be used to read circulating tumor DNA, helping us spot the disease when it is still microscopic.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
It said it would now look at the rules and procedures of the annual contest, which has been running for 15 years and is specifically for microscopic images.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
These channels act as microscopic gates in cell membranes and play an important role in electrical signaling.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
As if microscopic bugs had leapt from the box to his skin and were burrowing their way to his blood even as he stood there.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
