as in representative
something (such as a place or an event) that is seen as a small version of something much larger
The village is a microcosm of the whole country. The game was a microcosm of the entire season.
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Recent Examples of microcosm
In so many ways, this was a microcosm of Liverpool’s season.
—
James Pearce, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Jacksonville is a huge place with a lot of different microcosms.
—Becky Wern, Florida Times-Union, 7 Mar. 2026
ValenSil serves as a microcosm of a broader shift in the US labor market to a low-hire, low-fire environment that is likely to be highlighted when the February jobs report is released Friday morning.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
Zuloaga’s smart-mouthed troop functions as a lively microcosm of this world.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for microcosm
James Pearce, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Jacksonville is a huge place with a lot of different microcosms.
—Becky Wern, Florida Times-Union, 7 Mar. 2026
ValenSil serves as a microcosm of a broader shift in the US labor market to a low-hire, low-fire environment that is likely to be highlighted when the February jobs report is released Friday morning.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
Zuloaga’s smart-mouthed troop functions as a lively microcosm of this world.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for microcosm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for microcosm
Noun
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During her tenure as a state representative and throughout her campaign for Illinois comptroller, Croke has pointed to her experience as a mother when discussing policies affecting working families.—
Jonathan Bullington,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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But researchers drew on findings from Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, which while not representative, indicated that the lion's share of charitable donations come from companies that are giving over the new threshold.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The same homeowner, according to law enforcement, may be connected to another property in California where detectives in 2022 found a cache of hundreds of samples marked HIV, TB, malaria, COVID, and Ebola, as well as thousands of lab mice.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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Those samples were added to that database.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Kane County, for example, residents are deciding who the Democratic and Republican nominees should be for positions like county sheriff, treasurer and clerk, as well as for those members of the county board that are up for reelection in 2026.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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For example, individual filers can receive up to $994, couples filing jointly can receive $1,491, and those providing essential care to SSI recipients can receive up to $498.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Microcosm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/microcosm. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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