microcosm
noun
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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
Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Best Play This moment was both shocking in real time and a neat microcosm of the Jayden Daniels experience.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024
In sum, Trump’s message on housing is a microcosm of his politics.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, The Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2024
What’s at stake: New Jersey’s sprawling 7th Congressional District is a microcosm of the Garden State itself and stretches across 95 municipalities in six diverse counties.
—USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
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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 22 Nov. 2024.
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microcosm
noun
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