macrocosm

noun

mac·​ro·​cosm ˈma-krə-ˌkä-zəm How to pronounce macrocosm (audio)
Synonyms of macrocosmnext
1
: the great world : universe
2
: a complex that is a large-scale reproduction of one of its constituents
macrocosmic
ˌma-krə-ˈkäz-mik How to pronounce macrocosm (audio)
adjective
macrocosmically
ˌma-krə-ˈkäz-mi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce macrocosm (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of macrocosm

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Examples of macrocosm in a Sentence

almost the entirety of the vast macrocosm remains beyond our reach
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the flower choker holds a unique place in the macrocosm of the early aughts revival. — Frances Solá-Santiago, refinery29.com, 28 Feb. 2022 The same problem exists in macrocosm at the school-district level. — Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026 Vexingly, the war with Iran is reproducing in macrocosm what those wars taught in microcosm. — Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026 Carol’s book signing before the world-altering event is really a microcosm of what would soon become the macrocosm. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025 In other words, the macrocosm of the cosmos is reflected in the microcosm of individual experience. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, 6 Jan. 2020 Vedic astrology, too, attributes personalities to planets and speaks of the connection between the macrocosm and the microcosm. — Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Time, 10 Jan. 2026 The social slippage that has led the world to become a macrocosm of the Swap Shop — so many of us free-diving for usable ephemera, pooling our limited resources with one another — is not something to celebrate. — New York Times, 3 May 2022 For me, to have this opportunity as two women is really thrilling professionally, personally, especially in the macrocosm of theater. — Dave Quinn, People.com, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Medieval Latin; French macrocosme, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin macrocosmus, from macro- macro- + -cosmus, in microcosmus microcosm

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of macrocosm was in 1602

Rhymes for macrocosm

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Browse Nearby Words

macroconjugant
macrocosm
macrocosmic
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Cite this Entry

“Macrocosm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macrocosm. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

macrocosm

noun
mac·​ro·​cosm ˈmak-rə-ˌkäz-əm How to pronounce macrocosm (audio)
: the world as a whole : universe
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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