Something that's microcosmic reflects in miniature a larger object or idea. You can describe the Little Italy neighborhood of your city as microcosmic of the country of Italy, for example, or the dynamics of a preschool classroom as microcosmic of adult society. In fact, sociology — the study of how people act in societies — is where you're most likely to come across the adjective microcosmic. The word is rooted in two Greek words, mikros, "small," and kosmos, "world."