micro

/ˌmaɪˈkroʊ/

/ˈmaɪkrəʊ/

Micro things are so small you can't see them, or reduced to a very small scale. When you study a subject like economics on a micro level, you look at individual markets instead of the whole economy.

Most topics can be discussed or studied on a micro level — up close, looking at separate examples — or a macro level, stepping back to view the larger, wider picture. A change in climate is hard to see on the micro level (your state may have had a particularly cold winter), but easier on a macro level (the average temperature may still have increased over the last 100 years). Micro comes from the Greek mikros, "small."

Definitions of micro

1. adjective

   extremely small in scale or scope or capability
   synonyms:

   little, small

   limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent