submicroscopic

adjective

sub·​mi·​cro·​scop·​ic ˌsəb-ˌmī-krə-ˈskä-pik How to pronounce submicroscopic (audio)
1
: too small to be seen in an ordinary light microscope
2
: of, relating to, or dealing with the very minute
the submicroscopic world
submicroscopically
ˌsəb-ˌmī-krə-ˈskä-pi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce submicroscopic (audio)
adverb

Examples of submicroscopic in a Sentence

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.
Within that backdrop, the quantum foam is doing its usual thing, which is to shake up space-time at submicroscopic scales. — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 19 Jan. 2025 Clues from string theory, black hole physics and other places have led to a widespread belief that space-time should unravel into stranger stuff at some submicroscopic scale. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Nov. 2025 The specter of contagion and death from a submicroscopic menace had the whole world living in fear, with particular concern for the most vulnerable among us. — John Gurda, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2021 To understand how our tiny power sources work, first consider the carbon nanotube, a hollow, submicroscopic tube made of a chicken-wire-like lattice of carbon atoms. — IEEE Spectrum, 28 Nov. 2011 Here too, the structure suggested the function, with the molecule imbibing and expelling oxygen atoms almost like a submicroscopic lung. — George Johnson, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2013 The find may reshape scientists' understanding of how these submicroscopic infectious agents drive ecological processes in the planet's oceans. — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2022 Engineers and scientists are using the same technology perfected over decades to make microchips to create a variety of other miniature marvels, from submicroscopic machines to new kinds of lenses. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, 22 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of submicroscopic was in 1843

Rhymes for submicroscopic

See All Rhymes for submicroscopic

Browse Nearby Words

submicron
submicroscopic
submiliary
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Cite this Entry

“Submicroscopic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/submicroscopic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

submicroscopic

adjective
sub·​mi·​cro·​scop·​ic ˌsəb-ˌmī-krə-ˈskäp-ik How to pronounce submicroscopic (audio)
: too small to be seen in an ordinary light microscope
submicroscopic particles
submicroscopic organization of a bacterium
compare macroscopic, microscopic sense 2, ultramicroscopic sense 1
submicroscopically
-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce submicroscopic (audio)
adverb
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