microcosm

noun

mi·​cro·​cosm ˈmī-krə-ˌkä-zəm How to pronounce microcosm (audio)
1
: a little world
especially : the human race or human nature seen as an epitome (see epitome sense 1) of the world or the universe
2
: a community or other unity that is an epitome (see epitome sense 2) of a larger unity
The suburb has been the microcosm of the city.
microcosmic adjective
microcosmically adverb
Phrases
in microcosm
: in a greatly diminished size, form, or scale

Did you know?

Small wonder that the oldest meaning of microcosm in our dictionary is “little world”: the word comes ultimately from the Greek phrase mikros kosmos, meaning “little universe.” That meaning can be applied to many a wee realm, as in “the microcosm of the atom,” but microcosm was originally used by medieval scholars specifically to refer to humans as miniature embodiments of the natural universe. Microcosm soon expanded to refer to places (such as neighborhoods or other communities) thought to embody at a small scale characteristics of larger places, and later to anything serving as an apt representation of something bigger—as when Arthur C. Clarke, famed author of much fiction and nonfiction set in the cosmos, noted that “a sunken ship is a microcosm of the civilization that launched it.”

Examples of microcosm in a Sentence

The village is a microcosm of the whole country. The game was a microcosm of the entire season.
Recent Examples on the Web There’s different kinds of these microcosms that exist all the time in these relationships. Ilana Kaplan, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 The exhibition is in many ways a microcosm of a country whose people largely — at least in public — avert their gaze from the big and bloody war in Ukraine that Mr. Putin started more than two years ago. Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Musk had bought Twitter more than a year into Isaacson’s reporting and writing process, completing his transformation into an ideological lightning rod—and all but guaranteeing that the book’s reception would simply be a microcosm of the fractured public opinion about Musk. Longreads, 15 Mar. 2024 The Super Bowl was a bit of a microcosm of the Chiefs' season, the team starting slow before finishing with a flourish – Mahomes throwing the game-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds on the clock to cap a 22-point barrage after halftime. USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Hitting 3-pointers from the outside and attacking the basket with thunderous dunks in the second half of his 26-point performance, Foster’s play proved a microcosm of the entire game. Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2024 The royal-photo debacle is merely a microcosm of our current moment, where trust in both governing institutions and gatekeeping organizations such as the mainstream press is low. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 With Klopp leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, the pair embraced at fulltime after a game that was a microcosm of their almost decade-long battle at the top of the Premier League. Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Digital transformation efforts are often much more strategic and well organized, but as a microcosm of the point, most of our efforts in change and innovation are unsuccessful because of a lack of a real plan. Drew Cashmore, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microcosm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin microcosmus, modification of Greek mikros kosmos

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of microcosm was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near microcosm

Cite this Entry

“Microcosm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microcosm. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

microcosm

noun
mi·​cro·​cosm ˈmī-krə-ˌkäz-əm How to pronounce microcosm (audio)
: an individual or community thought of as a miniature universe or a world in itself
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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