microstructure

noun

mi·​cro·​struc·​ture ˈmī-krō-ˌstrək-chər 

: the microscopic structure of a material (such as a mineral or a biological cell)

microstructural

ˌmī-krō-ˈstrək-chə-rəl 

-ˈstrək-shrəl

adjective

Examples of microstructure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dental thermometry Paleontologists have long argued about dinosaur physiology based on indirect evidence like bone microstructure, growth rates, and where fossils turn up on the map. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2026

University of Utah researchers have developed a 3D printing method that creates solid microstructures in a single laser exposure, eliminating the weak seams typically left behind by conventional layer-by-layer printing. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Neither result has been overturned; both are textbook market microstructure. — Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

The other, developed by graduate student Joan Song, homed in on the microstructure inside the transition zone between gray and white matter. — New Atlas, 27 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for microstructure

• infrastructure
• macrostructure
• nanostructure
• superstructure
• ultrastructure
• restructure
• substructure
• structure

Medical Definition

microstructure

noun

mi·​cro·​struc·​ture ˈmī-krō-ˌstrək-chər 

: microscopic structure (as of a cell)

microstructural

ˌmī-krō-ˈstrək-chə-rəl, -ˈstrək-shrəl 

adjective