microplastic

noun

mi·​cro·​plas·​tic ˌmī-krō-ˈpla-stik 

plural microplastics

1

: a very small piece of plastic especially when occurring as an environmental pollutant

—usually used in plural

… the microplastics that have made their way into the food chain and even the air we breathe.

—Los Angeles Times

… the Mariana Trench contains the highest levels of microplastics (most likely from clothing, bottles, packaging and fishing gear) yet found in the open ocean, offering irrefutable proof that plastics have penetrated even the most remote places on the planet.

—Rina Li

specifically : a piece of plastic that is five millimeters or smaller in size

Indeed, a handful of sand or cup of seawater from nearly anywhere in the world will probably be peppered with microplastics—pieces that are tinier than a small pea and often invisible.

—Jennifer Ackerman

2

: material consisting of microplastics

Most of that microplastic is coming not from broken down plastic soda bottles or shopping bags but textiles and clothing made of synthetic materials like polyester.

—Dharna Noor

compare nanoplastic

microplastic adjective

microplastic pollution

microplastic debris

Examples of microplastic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lazaridis emphasizes that these findings raise concerns about the long-term effect of microplastics and nanoplastics, particularly for young people. —Susan Murphy, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

What’s the difference between microplastics and nanoplastics? —Johnny Dodd, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

As humanity churns out exponentially more plastic in general, so does the environment get contaminated with exponentially more microplastics. —Matt Simon, WIRED, 18 Dec. 2023

Studies have shown that the two biggest contributors of microplastics in the environment are car tires and synthetic clothing. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024

More than three quarters of people in the U.K. are concerned about the impact of microplastics on the environment and human health, according to a new survey. —Jamie Hailstone, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

That’s why the EU has now imposed a ban on loose plastic glitter that’s not dissolvable or biodegradable, as part of its wider policy on microplastics, beginning this month. —Emily Chan, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2023

The remaining 10% were microplastics, about a thousand times larger than nanoplastics. —Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 16 Mar. 2024

Related article Certain types of ‘forever chemicals’ will no longer be used in US food packaging, FDA says Participants with microplastics and nanoplastics in their bodies were followed for 34 months. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined at sense 1