microscopic

adjective mi·cro·scop·ic \ ˌmī-krə-ˈskä-pik \

variants: or less commonly microscopical play \-pi-kəl\

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Examples: microscopic in a Sentence

Definition of microscopic

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

—

microscopically

play \-pi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See microscopic defined for English-language learners

See microscopic defined for kids

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 of microscopic from the Web

The two-dimensional works, painted on aluminum and on wooden slabs, more closely resemble astral fireworks or pools of microscopic life.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Seeing the heavens in a cut of wood," 11 July 2018
Users collect a stool sample, which is then tested for blood and any microscopic DNA fragments shed by a tumor or pre-cancerous lesion.

— claire altschuler, chicagotribune.com, "Ditching the doctor? What to know about home health tests before trying them," 27 June 2018
Running can also cause microscopic tears in the plantar fascia.

— markham heid, Time, "You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Treat Plantar Fasciitis?," 27 June 2018
Instead, microscopic worms infested her body, causing catastrophic and irreversible damage.

— The Economist, "How Sierra Leone is beating tropical diseases," 23 June 2018
Quagga and zebra mussels siphon in water to pluck out microscopic organisms that can throw food chains out of balance, and their sheer numbers in attaching to surfaces can clog pipes at reservoirs and damage boat motors.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Washington state plans to use dog to detect invasive mussels on boats," 23 June 2018
All the classic elements of a traditional links course are here: pot bunkers, tees adjacent to greens, tall fescue, berms, hollows and bedeviling greens that range from microscopic to a massive double green.

— Detroit Free Press, "Ranking Michigan's top 10 vacation golf courses," 21 June 2018
Each song following that on this album is a specific, more focused look on each individual growing pain, a microscopic view on each part of my mind and each part of my experiences for the last three years.

— ella cerón, Teen Vogue, "Alessia Cara on "Growing Pains," Self-Love, and Her New Album," 15 June 2018
Her finest work features distinctive European improvisers including Andrea Neumann and Christine Abdelnour, and implants microscopic gestures and refined interaction within abrasive noisescapes larded with sine tones and garbled feedback.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Electronic improviser Bonnie Jones highlights community in her abstract sound practice," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'microscopic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of microscopic

circa 1672

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

microscopic Synonyms

Other Microbiology Terms

pathogen, salmonella, tetanus

MICROSCOPIC Defined for English Language Learners

microscopic

adjective

Definition of microscopic for English Language Learners

: able to be seen only through a microscope : extremely small
: much smaller than what is usual, normal, or expected
: done with a microscope

MICROSCOPIC Defined for Kids

microscopic

adjective mi·cro·scop·ic \ ˌmī-krə-ˈskä-pik \

Definition of microscopic for Students

1 : of, relating to, or conducted with the microscope

a microscopic examination

2 : so small as to be visible only through a microscope : very tiny

a microscopic crack

—

microscopically

\-pi-kə-lē\ adverb

Medical Dictionary

microscopic

adjective mi·cro·scop·ic \ ˌmī-krə-ˈskäp-ik \

variants: or microscopical play \-i-kəl\

medical Definition of microscopic

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 1

—