microscopicmi‧cro‧scop‧ic /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpɪk◂ $ -ˈskɑː-/ adjective 
Examples
a microscopic speck of dust Inspectors discovered microscopic cracks in the hull of the submarine.► see thesaurus at small2[only before noun] using a microscope: The cells were identified through microscopic analysis.—microscopically /-kli/ adverb: The seeds are microscopically small.
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- A primitive form of microscopic life may have existed on Mars billions of years ago.
- Many of these organisms are microscopic in size.
- The skin is covered with microscopic hairs, invisible to the naked eye.
- Accordingly, the actual burning process on a microscopic scale must proceed through Several intermediate steps.
- As early as 1844, Alfred Donne published a compendium of drawings made from daguerreotypes of microscopic forms.
- Even at the microscopic level of atoms... there is mostly space..
- However, microscopic analysis of the soil in a pit can sometimes show what sort of food remains were originally buried.
- Interleukin-2 is normally present in minute quantities in the microscopic local environment of lymphocytes and acts only upon those few cells.
- The microscopic quantum world is imprecise; it is the domain of Heisenberg uncertainty.
- The whole process produces characteristic structural changes in the metal which can be detected by microscopic study of sections through the artefact.
- This branch of thermodynamics applies the laws of statistics to component microscopic particles.
THESAURUSvery small► tiny
Collocations very small – used about objects, numbers, or amounts: · a tiny island· Dairy foods provide your body with a tiny amount of vitamin D.
► teeny informal very small – used for emphasis: · I’ll just have a teeny bit of cream.· There’s just one teeny little problem.· a teeny little house
► minute extremely small and extremely difficult to see or notice: · They found minute traces of poison in his body.· The differences are minute.· minute creatures
► miniature a miniature camera, watch, railway etc is made in a very small size. A miniature horse, dog etc is bred to be a very small size: · The spy used a miniature camera.· the fashion for miniature pets
► microscopic extremely small and impossible to see without special equipment: · microscopic organisms· microscopic particles of dust
► minuscule extremely small in a surprising way: · She was wearing a minuscule bikini.· The threat from terrorism is minuscule compared to other risks in our lives.
► itty-bitty/itsy-bitsy [only before noun] American English informal very small: · An itty-bitty little bug crawled across his forehead.· We stayed at some itty-bitty hotel in a back street.
Longman Language Activatorextremely small in size► tiny · Have you seen Vic's apartment? It's tiny.· Luke put out his hand and touched the tiny fingers of his baby daughter.· a tiny village in the mountainstiny little · The box was full of tiny little blue and white beads.
► minute extremely small and difficult to see: · Police found minute traces of blood on the car seats.· Her writing's so minute that it's difficult to read.· The problem was caused by minute particles of dust getting in the disk drive.
► minuscule a lot smaller than usual, especially in a way that seems surprising: · Compared to its adult size, a new-born kangaroo is minuscule.· The pool was surrounded by bronzed girls wearing minuscule bikinis.
► microscopic an object or living creature that is microscopic is so small that it is difficult or impossible to see without using special equipment: · The skin is covered with microscopic hairs, invisible to the naked eye.· A primitive form of microscopic life may have existed on Mars billions of years ago.· Many of these organisms are microscopic in size.
► miniature very small, but made just like something of normal size: · Next to the beach there's a miniature railway.· The locket contained a miniature portrait of her late husband.· a miniature TV with a 2 inch screen
WORD SETS► Biologyaerobic, adjectiveafterbirth, nounalgae, nounalimentary canal, nounamber, nounameba, nounamino acid, nounamoeba, nounanaconda, nounanaerobic, adjectiveandrogynous, adjectiveantibody, nounantigen, nounantitoxin, nounappendage, nounarm, nounarmour, nounasexual, adjectiveassimilation, nounatrophy, verbaviary, nounbacteria, nounbacteriology, nounbarnacle, nounbile, nounbinocular vision, nounbio-, prefixbiochemistry, nounbiodegradable, adjectivebiodiversity, nounbiohazard, nounbiological, adjectivebiological clock, nounbiology, nounbiomass, nounbiome, nounbiosphere, nounblind, nounbrain, nounbreathe, verbbreed, verbbreed, nounbreeding, nounbristle, nounbulb, nouncapsule, nouncarbohydrate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarnivore, nouncell, nouncellular, adjectivecellulose, nouncentral nervous system, nouncervical, adjectivecholesterol, nounchromosome, nouncirculation, nouncirculatory, adjectiveclass, nounclone, nouncold-blooded, adjectiveconceive, verbconch, nounconnective tissue, nouncopulate, verbcoral reef, nouncornea, nouncoronary, adjectivecorpuscle, nouncortex, nouncortisone, nouncowrie, nouncrab, nouncrawfish, nouncrayfish, nouncreature, nouncross, verbcrossbreed, nounculture, nouncytoplasm, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdefecate, verbdenizen, noundextrose, noundiaphragm, noundigest, verbdigestion, noundigestive, adjectiveDNA, noundorsal, adjectivedry rot, nounduct, noundwarf, noundwarf, adjectiveecological, adjectiveecology, nounecosystem, nounegg, nounejaculate, verbembryo, nounembryonic, adjectiveenzyme, nounepidermis, nounevolution, nounevolutionary, adjectiveexcrement, nounexcrescence, nounexcrete, verbexcretion, nounexhale, verbexoskeleton, nounextinction, nounfaeces, nounfamily, nounfang, nounfat, nounfatty acid, nounfauna, nounfeces, nounfeed, verbfemale, adjectivefemale, nounferment, verbferment, nounfertile, adjectivefertility, nounfertilize, verbfission, nounflank, nounflatulence, nounflesh, nounfleshy, adjectiveflightless, adjectiveflora, nounfoetal, adjectivefoetus, nounfoliage, nounfossil, nounfreak, nounfreshwater, adjectivefructose, noungamete, nounganglion, noungene, noungene pool, noungenera, genetic, adjectivegenetic code, noungenetic engineering, noungenetic fingerprinting, noungenetics, noungenome, noungenus, noungestation, noungland, nounglandular, adjectiveglucose, noungluten, noungonad, noungrass snake, noungrow, verbgrowth, nounhabitat, nounhaemoglobin, nounhearing, nounheart, nounhemisphere, nounherbivore, nounhereditary, adjectiveheredity, nounhermaphrodite, nounhibernate, verbhistamine, nounhoming, adjectivehormone, nounhost, nounimpregnate, verbimpulse, nounincubate, verbindigenous, adjectiveinfected, adjectiveinfertile, adjectiveinfest, verbingest, verbinhale, verbinseminate, verbinsensate, adjectiveinsulin, nounintegument, nounintercourse, nouninterferon, nounintestine, nouninvertebrate, nouninvoluntary, adjectiveiris, nounjaw, nounjelly, nounkidney, nounkrill, nounlactate, verblactation, nounlactic acid, nounleech, nounleg, nounlesser, adjectivelichen, nounlife, nounlife cycle, nounlife form, nounligament, nounlimb, nounlimpet, nounlipid, nounliver, nounliving fossil, nounlocomotion, nounlymph, nounlymph node, nounmale, adjectivemale, nounmammal, nounmandible, nounmate, nounmate, verbmembrane, nounmetabolism, nounmetabolize, verbmetamorphosis, nounmicrobe, nounmicrobiology, nounmicroorganism, nounmicroscopic, adjectivemigrate, verbmigratory, adjectivemiscarriage, nounmolar, nounmorphology, nounmotor, adjectivemould, nounmouth, nounmucous membrane, nounmucus, nounmulticellular, adjectivemuscle, nounmuscular, adjectivemutant, nounmutate, verbmutation, nounnatural history, nounnatural selection, nounnature, nounneck, nounnectar, nounnerve, nounnervous, adjectivenervous system, nounneural, adjectiveneuro-, prefixneurology, nounnode, nounnose, nounnostril, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounnutriment, nounoesophagus, nounoestrogen, nounolfactory, adjectiveoptic, adjectiveorgan, nounorganic, adjectiveorganic chemistry, nounorganism, nounorifice, nounossify, verbosteo-, prefixoutgrowth, nounova, ovary, nounoverwinter, verboviduct, nounoviparous, adjectiveovulate, verbovum, nounparasite, nounpathogen, nounpedigree, nounpelvic, adjectivepelvis, nounpenile, adjectivepenis, nounpepsin, nounperiod, nounperspiration, nounperspire, verbphotosynthesis, nounphylum, nounpigment, nounpigmentation, nounplankton, nounplasma, nounpollinate, verbpostnatal, adjectivepregnancy, nounpregnant, adjectivepremature, adjectiveprenatal, adjectiveproduct, nounproliferation, nounpropagate, verbprotein, nounprotoplasm, nounprotozoan, nounpuberty, nounpulmonary, adjectivepulp, nounpulsation, nounputrefy, verbputrid, adjectivered blood cell, nounregurgitate, verbrenal, adjectivereproduce, verbreproduction, nounreproductive, adjectiverespiration, nounrespiratory, adjectiverespire, verbretina, nounroot, nounrot, verbrot, nounruff, nounsac, nounsaliva, nounsalivary gland, nounsalivate, verbsaltwater, adjectivescale, nounscallop, nounscaly, adjectivesebaceous, adjectivesecrete, verbsecretion, nounsemen, nounsense organ, nounsensory, adjectiveserum, nounsex, nounsex, verbsexless, adjectivesexual intercourse, nounsheath, nounshell, nounsibling, nounskeletal, adjectiveskeleton, nounskin, nounskull, nounspasm, nounspasmodic, adjectivespecies, nounspecimen, nounsperm, nounspiderweb, nounspinal cord, nounspine, nounspineless, adjectivestarch, nounstem cell, nounstimulate, verbstimulus, nounstrain, nounsubject, nounsubspecies, nounsucker, nounsucrose, nounsweat, verbsweat, nounsweat gland, nounsymbiosis, nounsystemic, adjectivetail, nountaxonomy, nounteeth, testosterone, nountest-tube baby, nountissue, nountrachea, nountube, noununicellular, adjectiveurethra, nounuric, adjectiveurinate, verburine, nounvariety, nounvector, nounvein, nounvenom, nounvenomous, adjectiveventricle, nounvertebra, nounvertebrate, nounvivisection, nounwarm-blooded, adjectivewean, verbwildlife, nounwindpipe, nounyolk, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► examination
1extremely small and therefore very difficult to see: · Whilst most bryozoa require microscopic examination, a few form colonies large and distinctive enough to be easily recognizable.· The minute he got inside he was going up to his room to give it a microscopic examination.· Mineralogical analysis and microscopic examination of soil structures is well advanced.
► level· On the microscopic level, this problem manifests itself in abstractionism.· We are talking about really microscopic levels....· At a microscopic level, the range of factors and substances behaved to influence the interactions between neurones has been greatly widened.· Even at the microscopic level of atoms... there is mostly space...
a microscopic speck of dust Inspectors discovered microscopic cracks in the hull of the submarine.► see thesaurus at small2[only before noun] using a microscope: The cells were identified through microscopic analysis.—microscopically /-kli/ adverb: The seeds are microscopically small.