mi ‧ cro ‧ scop ‧ ic /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpɪk◂ $ -ˈskɑː-/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . extremely small and therefore very difficult to see:
a microscopic speck of dust
Inspectors discovered microscopic cracks in the hull of the submarine.
2 . [only before noun] using a microscope:
The cells were identified through microscopic analysis.
—microscopically /-kli/ adverb :
The seeds are microscopically small.
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THESAURUS
■ very small
▪ tiny very small – used about objects, numbers, or amounts:
a tiny island
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Dairy foods provide your body with a tiny amount of vitamin D.
▪ teeny informal very small - used for emphasis:
I'll just have a teeny bit of cream.
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There's just one teeny little problem.
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a teeny little house
▪ minute extremely small and extremely difficult to see or notice:
They found minute traces of poison in his body.
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The differences are minute.
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minute creatures
▪ miniature a miniature camera, watch, railway etc is made in a very small size. A miniature horse, dog etc is bred to be a very small size:
The spy used a miniature camera.
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the fashion for miniature pets
▪ microscopic extremely small and impossible to see without special equipment:
microscopic organisms
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microscopic particles of dust
▪ minuscule /ˈmɪnəskjuːl, ˈmɪnɪskjuːl/ extremely small in a surprising way:
She was wearing a minuscule bikini.
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The threat from terrorism is minuscule compared to other risks in our lives.
▪ itty-bitty/itsy-bitsy [only before noun] American English informal very small:
An itty-bitty little bug crawled across his forehead.
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We stayed at some itty-bitty hotel in a back street.