microcosm

[ mahy-kruh-koz-uh m ]
/ ˈmaɪ krəˌkɒz əm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR microcosm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a little world; a world in miniature (opposed to macrocosm).
anything that is regarded as a world in miniature.
human beings, humanity, society, or the like, viewed as an epitome or miniature of the world or universe.
Also called mi·cro·cos·mos [mahy-kruh-koz-muh s, -mohs] /ˌmaɪ krəˈkɒz məs, -moʊs/.

Origin of microcosm

1150–1200; Middle English microcosme < Medieval Latin mīcrocosmus < Greek mīkròs kósmos small world. See micro-, cosmos

OTHER WORDS FROM microcosm

mi·cro·cos·mic, mi·cro·cos·mi·cal, adjective

Words nearby microcosm

microcomputing, microconstituent, microcopy, microcoria, microcornea, microcosm, microcosmic salt, microcoustic, microcredit, microcrystal, microcrystalline

Words related to microcosmic

gutter, last, nadir, bottom, infinitesimal, second, minimum, minute, first, third, atomic, lowest, microscopic, minimal, molecular, niggling, piddling, trivial, unimportant, finical

Example sentences from the Web for microcosmic

British Dictionary definitions for microcosmic

microcosm

microcosmos (ˌmaɪkrəʊˈkɒzmɒs)

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌkɒzəm) /

noun

a miniature representation of something, esp a unit, group, or place regarded as a copy of a larger one
man regarded as epitomizing the universe
Compare macrocosm

Derived forms of microcosm

microcosmic or microcosmical, adjective

Word Origin for microcosm

C15: via Medieval Latin from Greek mikros kosmos little world

Cultural definitions for microcosmic

microcosm

A representation of something on a much smaller scale. Microcosm means “small world,” and in the thought of the Renaissance, it was applied specifically to human beings, who were considered to be small-scale models of the universe, with all its variety and contradiction. (Compare macrocosm.)