Standard Lemma guide

microscopic

adj · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • mī'krəskŏʹpĭk
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɒp.ɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɑ.pɪk/
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɒp.ɪk/ of the US
  • Australian: /ˌmɑe.kɹəˈskɔp.ɪk/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌmaɪ.kɹəˈskɒp.ək/
  • New-Zealand: [ˌmɑe̯.kɹəˈskɔ̟p.ək]
  • rhymes with -ɒpɪk
  • CMU ARPABET: M AY2 K R AH0 S K AA1 P IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, or relating to microscopes or microscopy; microscopal

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We supply all microscopic stains and other materials.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

So small that it can only be seen with the aid of a microscope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The water was full of microscopic organisms.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Very small; minute

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Compared to the galaxy, we are microscopic in scale.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Carried out with great attention to detail.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • The police carried out a microscopic search of the crime scene.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Able to see extremely minute objects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

of or relating to or used in microscopy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • microscopic analysis
  • microscopical examination

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: microscopical

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

so small as to be invisible without a microscope

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • differences were microscopic

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: microscopical

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

extremely precise with great attention to details

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • examined it with microscopic care

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

visible under a microscope; using a microscope

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: microscopical

Antonyms: none provided

History

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 *sképťomai Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai) 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 -ius 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.

Across languages

Translations

79 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: microscópicu — relating to microscopes
  • Bulgarian: микроскопски (mikroskopski) — relating to microscopes
  • Catalan: microscòpic — relating to microscopes
  • Danish: mikroskopisk — relating to microscopes
  • Esperanto: mikroskopa — relating to microscopes
  • Finnish: mikroskooppi- — relating to microscopes
  • French: microscopique — relating to microscopes
  • Greek: μικροσκοπικός (mikroskopikós) — relating to microscopes
  • Interlingua: microscopic — relating to microscopes
  • Irish: micreascópach — relating to microscopes
  • Italian: microscopico — relating to microscopes
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mikroskopisk — relating to microscopes
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mikroskopisk — relating to microscopes
  • Portuguese: microscópico — relating to microscopes
  • Romanian: microscopic — relating to microscopes
  • Spanish: microscópico — relating to microscopes
  • Tagalog: miksipatin — relating to microscopes
  • Ukrainian: мікроскопі́чний (mikroskopíčnyj) — relating to microscopes
  • Volapük: daluskopik — relating to microscopes
  • Yiddish: מיקראָסקאָפּיש (mikroskopish) — relating to microscopes
  • Asturian: microscópicu — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Belarusian: мікраскапі́чны (mikraskapíčny) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Bulgarian: микроскопичен (mikroskopičen) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Bulgarian: микроскопически (mikroskopičeski) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Catalan: microscòpic — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Czech: mikroskopický — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Danish: mikroskopisk — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Dutch: microscopisch — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Esperanto: mikroskopa — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Finnish: mikroskooppinen — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • French: microscopique — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Galician: microscópico — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • German: mikroskopisch — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Greek: μικροσκοπικός (mikroskopikós) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Hungarian: mikroszkopikus — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Interlingua: microscopic — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Irish: micreascópach — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Italian: microscopico — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Kazakh: микроскопиялық (mikroskopiälyq) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Latvian: mikroskopisks — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Māori: merowhetau — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mikroskopisk — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mikroskopisk — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Polish: mikroskopijny — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Portuguese: microscópico — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Romanian: microscopic — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Russian: микроскопи́ческий (mikroskopíčeskij) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Spanish: microscópico — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Swedish: mikroskopisk — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Turkish: mikroskobik — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Ukrainian: мікроскопі́чний (mikroskopíčnyj) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Volapük: daluskopik — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Yiddish: מיקראָסקאָפּיש (mikroskopish) — so small that it can only be seen using a microscope
  • Asturian: microscópicu — very small
  • Bulgarian: микроскопичен (mikroskopičen) — very small
  • Bulgarian: микроскопически (mikroskopičeski) — very small
  • Catalan: microscòpic — very small
  • Danish: mikroskopisk — very small
  • Esperanto: malgrandega — very small
  • Finnish: mikroskooppinen — very small
  • French: microscopique — very small
  • Galician: microscópico — very small
  • German: mikroskopisch — very small
  • Greek: μικροσκοπικός (mikroskopikós) — very small
  • Irish: micreascópach — very small
  • Italian: microscopico — very small
  • Kazakh: микроскопиялық (mikroskopiälyq) — very small
  • Māori: merowhetau — very small
  • Portuguese: microscópico — very small
  • Romanian: microscopic — very small
  • Spanish: microscópico — very small
  • Ukrainian: мікроскопі́чний (mikroskopíčnyj) — very small
  • Volapük: daluskopik — very small
  • Yiddish: מיקראָסקאָפּיש (mikroskopish) — very small
  • Bulgarian: щателен (štatelen) — carried out with great attention to detail
  • Bulgarian: обстоен (obstoen) — carried out with great attention to detail
  • Bulgarian: изчерпателен (izčerpatelen) — carried out with great attention to detail
  • Finnish: pikkutarkka — carried out with great attention to detail
  • Finnish: yksityiskohtainen — carried out with great attention to detail
Real reading context

microscopic in complete knowledge articles