microenvironment
Americannoun
noun
-
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.
-
Also called microhabitat
Other Word 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.
At the same time, they disrupted metabolic processes across several types of cells within the tumor microenvironment, further slowing tumor growth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Their work centers on understanding how cancer cells interact with their surroundings, often referred to as the tumor microenvironment.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2026
"The drug creates an immune microenvironment within the tumor, and essentially replaces the tumor with these tertiary lymphoid structures."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 16, 2026
"However, when viewed in the context of changes in the T cell and stromal compartments, it underlines the importance of the bone marrow microenvironment in shaping disease progression."
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.
