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

The researchers' solution to this involves using a hydrogel with a microstructure that lacks nanoscale pores that salt can escape from. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 13 June 2025

If the new entities were to retain U.S. support in some form, the impacts on bank market microstructure and the competitive playing field are less clear; but don’t expect the status quo to continue. —Ann Rutledge, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

The creature was an early common ancestor of platypuses and echidnas and the scientists used advanced scanning techniques to take a look at the bone's internal microstructure. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 May 2025

The mazes are a way to picture a black hole’s microstructure—its minuscule quantum makeup. —Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 7 Apr. 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