microscopic
adjective
mi·cro·scop·ic
ˌmī-krə-ˈskä-pik 
variants
or less commonly microscopical
1
: resembling a microscope especially in perception
2
a
: invisible or indistinguishable without the use of a microscope
b
: very small or fine or precise
3
: of, relating to, or conducted with the microscope or microscopy
Examples of microscopic in a Sentence
At this point, the embryo is a microscopic clump of only 100 cells.
There is a microscopic crack in the diamond.
He has a microscopic attention span.
He recorded every aspect of his trip in microscopic detail.
a microscopic study of plant tissues
Recent Examples on the Web
The microscopic instrument, measuring 35 by 13 microns, and constructed from platinum, is less than the width of a human hair, said Loughborough University researchers.
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Even in the shade of a fruit tree, you could be surrounded by tiny skyscrapers — not made of steel or concrete, but of microscopic worms wriggling and writhing into the shape of long, vertical towers.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
New research into this microscopic turf war found that bacteria can speed up by using fluid pockets that are shaped by nearby yeast cells.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 June 2025
Limestone was a sedimentary rock, composed of the calcium remains of mollusks, corals, and microscopic creatures that had lived and died in this formerly shallow sea.
—Anelise Chen
june 3, Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for microscopic
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Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Even in the shade of a fruit tree, you could be surrounded by tiny skyscrapers — not made of steel or concrete, but of microscopic worms wriggling and writhing into the shape of long, vertical towers.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
New research into this microscopic turf war found that bacteria can speed up by using fluid pockets that are shaped by nearby yeast cells.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 June 2025
Limestone was a sedimentary rock, composed of the calcium remains of mollusks, corals, and microscopic creatures that had lived and died in this formerly shallow sea.
—Anelise Chen
june 3, Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for microscopic
Cite this Entry
“Microscopic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microscopic. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
microscopic
adjective
mi·cro·scop·ic
ˌmī-krə-ˈskäp-ik
variants
also microscopical
1
: of, relating to, or conducted with the microscope or microscopy
a microscopic examination
2
: resembling a microscope : able to see very tiny objects
some insects have microscopic vision
3
: able to be seen only through a microscope : very small
a microscopic plant
Medical Definition
microscopic
adjective
mi·cro·scop·ic
ˌmī-krə-ˈskäp-ik
variants
or microscopical
1
: of, relating to, or conducted with the microscope or microscopy
2
: so small or fine as to be invisible or indistinguishable without the use of a microscope compare macroscopic, submicroscopic, ultramicroscopic sense 1
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