noun
microcosm
MEYE-kruh-koz-uhm
noun
1
A small system or group that reflects, in miniature, the characteristics of a much larger one.
"The small town felt like a microcosm of the whole country's political divide."
"The classroom became a microcosm of society, with all its friendships and rivalries."
How to Use Microcosm
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small-scale version of something bigger, showing the same patterns in miniature.
Easily confused with
macrocosm
Common pairings
a microcosm of society
a microcosm of the wider world
Word Forms
microcosms plural
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The small town felt like a _____ of the whole country's political divide.
Etymology
From Greek mikros ("small") plus kosmos ("world" or "universe") — literally a "small world," originally used to describe a human being as a miniature reflection of the universe.