Dictionary

microscopic en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌmɑe.kɹəˈskɔp.ɪk/ (Australia)
• /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɒp.ɪk/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
• /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɒp.ɪk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɑ.pɪk/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˌmɑe̯.kɹəˈskɔ̟p.ək] (New-Zealand)
• /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɒp.ək/ (New-Zealand)
• mī'krəskŏʹpĭk

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.? Ancient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós) Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti Proto-Hellenic *sképt͏̌omai Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Hellenic *-ós ▲ Ancient Greek -ος (-os)influ. Ancient Greek -ός (-ós) Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Ancient Greek -έω (-éō) Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō) Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -iusnom. Latin -ium Latin mīcroscopiumlbor. Italian microscopiobor. English microscope Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English microscopic From microscope + -ic.

Meanings

1. Of, or relating to microscopes or microscopy; microscopal
   • We supply all microscopic stains and other materials.
2. So small that it can only be seen with the aid of a microscope.
   • Yiannas said there has been widespread public confusion about cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, also known as cyclospora, that can cause explosive diarrhea. 2026 July 25, Oliver Milman, “Former FDA official says US handling of cyclospora near ‘catastrophic level’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026:
   • The water was full of microscopic organisms.
3. Very small; minute
   • Compared to the galaxy, we are microscopic in scale.
   • By wholesale omission of connections and by the use of a microscopic scale of photographic reproduction which makes some of the most important tables difficult to read, the size has been cut down from last winter's 580 to 520 pages only. 1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: London Midland Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 593:
   • ... the notion of the microscopic was often used in the foundations of quantum theory right from the start, to indicate the realm in which quantum theory is required in order to explain phenomena when classical theory cannot do so; quantum theory was generally considered in those years to apply only to situations involving atoms and smaller “microscopic” entities... 2014 September, Gregg Jaeger, “What in the (quantum) world is macroscopic?”, in American Journal of Physics, volume 82, number 9, pages 896–905:
4. (figuratively) Carried out with great attention to detail.
   • The police carried out a microscopic search of the crime scene.
5. Able to see extremely minute objects.
   • Why has not man a microscopic eye? 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

gross · macroscopic

Deriveds

stereomicroscopic · microscopical · intravital microscopic · ultramicroscopic · electromicroscopic · endomicroscopic · micromorphic · submicroscopic · fluoromicroscopic · spectromicroscopic · quasimicroscopic · photomicroscopic · micromorph · cryomicroscopic · otomicroscopic · copromicroscopic · supermicroscopic · videomicroscopic · unmicroscopic · nonmicroscopic · biomicroscopic · microscopically · amicroscopic · immunomicroscopic

Relateds

macroscopic · microscope · naked-eye · telescopic

Translations (79)

vo daluskopik (relating to microscopes) · ro microscopic (relating to microscopes) · eo malgrandega (very small) · es microscópico (very small) · de mikroskopisch (very small) · it microscopico (relating to microscopes) · da mikroskopisk (relating to microscopes) · bg микроскопически (very small) · eo mikroskopa (relating to microscopes) · mi merowhetau (very small) · pt microscópico (relating to microscopes) · ca microscòpic (very small) · es microscópico (relating to microscopes) · it microscopico (very small) · da mikroskopisk (very small) · uk мікроскопі́чний (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · bg микроскопически (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · fr microscopique (relating to microscopes) · nb mikroskopisk (relating to microscopes) · be мікраскапі́чны (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · nn mikroskopisk (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ast microscópicu (very small) · uk мікроскопі́чний (relating to microscopes) · el μικροσκοπικός (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · gl microscópico (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · kk микроскопиялық (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · bg микроскопичен (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · vo daluskopik (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ca microscòpic (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · yi מיקראָסקאָפּיש (relating to microscopes) · fi pikkutarkka (carried out with great attention to detail) · tr mikroskobik (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · it microscopico (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ga micreascópach (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · lv mikroskopisks (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · nb mikroskopisk (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · fi mikroskooppi- (relating to microscopes) · ga micreascópach (very small) · ga micreascópach (relating to microscopes) · el μικροσκοπικός (very small) · bg изчерпателен (carried out with great attention to detail) · eo mikroskopa (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · bg обстоен (carried out with great attention to detail) · fr microscopique (very small) · fr microscopique (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · sv mikroskopisk (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · yi מיקראָסקאָפּיש (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · pl mikroskopijny (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · yi מיקראָסקאָפּיש (very small) · de mikroskopisch (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ia microscopic (relating to microscopes) · tl miksipatin (relating to microscopes) · mi merowhetau (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ast microscópicu (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · nl microscopisch (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · el μικροσκοπικός (relating to microscopes) · kk микроскопиялық (very small) · fi yksityiskohtainen (carried out with great attention to detail) · fi mikroskooppinen (very small) · gl microscópico (very small) · uk мікроскопі́чний (very small) · vo daluskopik (very small) · ast microscópicu (relating to microscopes) · fi mikroskooppinen (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · es microscópico (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ro microscopic (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · cs mikroskopický (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · bg микроскопичен (very small) · ro microscopic (very small) · da mikroskopisk (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · ru микроскопи́ческий (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · pt microscópico (very small) · ia microscopic (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · hu mikroszkopikus (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · bg щателен (carried out with great attention to detail) · bg микроскопски (relating to microscopes) · ca microscòpic (relating to microscopes) · pt microscópico (so small that it can only be seen using a microscope) · nn mikroskopisk (relating to microscopes)