microcosm

noun

mi·​cro·​cosm ˈmī-krə-ˌkä-zəm 

1

: a little world

especially : the human race or human nature seen as an epitome (see epitome sense 1) of the world or the universe

2

: a community or other unity that is an epitome (see epitome sense 2) of a larger unity

The suburb has been the microcosm of the city.

microcosmic

ˌmī-krə-ˈkäz-mik 

adjective

microcosmically

ˌmī-krə-ˈkäz-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Phrases

in microcosm

: in a greatly diminished size, form, or scale

Did you know?

Small wonder that the oldest meaning of microcosm in our dictionary is “little world”: the word comes ultimately from the Greek phrase mikros kosmos, meaning “little universe.” That meaning can be applied to many a wee realm, as in “the microcosm of the atom,” but microcosm was originally used by medieval scholars specifically to refer to humans as miniature embodiments of the natural universe. Microcosm soon expanded to refer to places (such as neighborhoods or other communities) thought to embody at a small scale characteristics of larger places, and later to anything serving as an apt representation of something bigger—as when Arthur C. Clarke, famed author of much fiction and nonfiction set in the cosmos, noted that “a sunken ship is a microcosm of the civilization that launched it.”

Examples of microcosm in a Sentence

The village is a microcosm of the whole country.

The game was a microcosm of the entire season.

Recent Examples on the Web

Both efforts were chalked off for offside but the events were a microcosm of Barcelona’s season under Flick with a brave high line. —Mark Carey, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

This week began with a steep loss for U.S. stocks on fears about the trade war, and it’s been a microcosm of the market’s severe swings in recent weeks as investors struggle with how to react to conditions that sometimes change by the hour. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025

That loop is a microcosm of leadership itself: aligning today’s actions with tomorrow’s aspirations. —Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

But the thorny decisions that Ms. Hoffman faces are a microcosm of the whiplash that retailers across the United States are confronting. —Ken Belson, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin microcosmus, modification of Greek mikros kosmos

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for microcosm

• macrocosm

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Kids Definition

microcosm

noun

mi·​cro·​cosm ˈmī-krə-ˌkäz-əm 

: an individual or community thought of as a miniature universe or a world in itself