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

The race could be a microcosm for broader 2024 election trends. —Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024

The change is important in Ohio because the state was long regarded as a microcosm of the nation as a whole. —Ron Elving, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024

Trending on Billboard In Liu Lian’s vision, each seat within the cabin represents a microcosm of life’s diverse experiences. —Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024

As many as 250 people a day wander onto their ranch from remote entry points—a microcosm of a nation facing an immigration crisis and humanitarian disaster—and the Chiltons are in the midst of it all. —Longreads, 23 Feb. 2024

Jerry may no longer be with us, but the buying and selling of the band’s shirts is livelier than ever—a colorful microcosm (with just a little touch of grey) of why band merch captivates the heart and wallet. —Susan Howson, Quartz, 18 Feb. 2024

In fact, the sweeping vista is enlarged from a microcosm of multicolored fluids. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024

There’s different kinds of these microcosms that exist all the time in these relationships. —Ilana Kaplan, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024

The exhibition is in many ways a microcosm of a country whose people largely — at least in public — avert their gaze from the big and bloody war in Ukraine that Mr. Putin started more than two years ago. —Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024

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

Phrases Containing microcosm

• in microcosm

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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