microcosm

noun

mi·​cro·​cosm ˈmī-krə-ˌkä-zəm 

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

ˌmī-krə-ˈkäz-mik 

adjective

microcosmically

ˌmī-krə-ˈkäz-mi-k(ə-)lē 

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

That uncanny-valley microcosm of the Big Apple was valued real estate at the 2017 Nintendo Direct where the original Switch’s blockbuster launch title, Super Mario Odyssey, was revealed. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

Press releases from the attorneys general emphasize the gulch between the leaders, a microcosm of their significantly different approaches to running the agency. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 26 Mar. 2025

In other words, a microcosm of the Hornets’ season-long inconsistencies, and another chance for Lee to evaluate things. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025

Maybe my experience is a microcosm of dating in general. —Melanie Curry, refinery29.com, 11 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for microcosm

• macrocosm

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Kids Definition

microcosm

noun

mi·​cro·​cosm ˈmī-krə-ˌkäz-əm 

: an individual or community thought of as a miniature universe or a world in itself