What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
microbial
Example
The microbial population in the soil is essential for plant growth. [microbial: adjective]
Example
She is studying microbial ecology at university. [microbial: adjective]
bacterial
Example
The doctor prescribed an antibiotic for the bacterial infection. [bacterial: adjective]
Example
She is researching bacterial genetics in the lab. [bacterial: adjective]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Bacterial is more commonly used than microbial in everyday language, especially in medical and biological contexts.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between microbial and bacterial?
Both microbial and bacterial are formal words that are commonly used in scientific contexts. However, bacterial may be more commonly used in medical and biological contexts, which tend to be more formal than environmental and ecological contexts where microbial is more commonly used.
