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Definition of "microscopic" []

  • Too small to be seen by the unaided eye but large enough to be studied under a microscope. (adjective)
  • Of, relating to, or concerned with a microscope. (adjective)
  • Exceedingly small; minute: "The activities of men . . . were reduced to a microscopic scale” ( John Hersey). (adjective)
  • Characterized by or done with extreme attention to detail: a microscopic investigation. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "microscopic" in a sentence
  • "In the animal kingdom (and this knowledge is also the result of Ehrenberg's discoveries), the form which we term microscopic occupy the largest space, in consequence of their rapid propagation."
  • "By then Marx had already retreated into what he called the "microscopic world" of grandchildren and family life."
  • "Mr Roberts told jurors the prosecution case against his client had an "Achilles heel", which he described as a "microscopic viewpoint" and "tunnel vision" about forensic evidence."