microscopic

Adjective

microscopic (comparative more microscopic, superlative most microscopic)

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.
   • The water was full of microscopic organisms.
   • 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
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
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