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
Hantaviruses are groups of viruses – microscopic organisms that infect hosts – transmitted by mice and rats.
—
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 May 2026
To protect the fragile ecosystem from invasive species large and microscopic, visitors are told to stay away from animals and to avoid touching the ground with anything but their feet.
—ABC News, 5 May 2026
Asparagus releases a chemical toxic to root knot nematodes, a microscopic round worm that creates multiple disease and growth problems in tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and peppers.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Every chat with Claude or GPT runs on the same underlying machinery that calculates spreadsheet totals and renders video games—silicon wafers etched with billions of microscopic switches, organized into specialized processors.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for microscopic
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Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 May 2026
To protect the fragile ecosystem from invasive species large and microscopic, visitors are told to stay away from animals and to avoid touching the ground with anything but their feet.
—ABC News, 5 May 2026
Asparagus releases a chemical toxic to root knot nematodes, a microscopic round worm that creates multiple disease and growth problems in tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and peppers.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Every chat with Claude or GPT runs on the same underlying machinery that calculates spreadsheet totals and renders video games—silicon wafers etched with billions of microscopic switches, organized into specialized processors.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for microscopic
Cite this Entry
“Microscopic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microscopic. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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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