Showing definitions for Baader-Meinhof phenomenon

Baader-Meinhof phenomenon

American

[bah-der-mahyn-hof fi-nom-uh-non, ‐nuhn] / ˈbɑ dərˈmaɪn hɒf fɪˌnɒm əˌnɒn, ‐nən /

noun

the seemingly sudden awareness of encountering a word, phrase, fact, or thing that one has only recently learned of.

Etymology

Origin of Baader-Meinhof phenomenon

First recorded in 1990–95 in a discussion thread in the St. Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) by a participant who had heard the name twice in close succession; named after the Baader-Meinhof Gang or Baader-Meinhof Group, a West German far-left terrorist group founded by Andreas Baader (1943–77) and Ulrike Meinhof (1934–76), and active in 1970–98

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Have you ever heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon?

From Scientific American • Nov. 5, 2017

Like a terrible incarnation of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon – people learn about a virus and suddenly start seeing it everywhere – the fear is simple human psychology.

From The Guardian • Oct. 20, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023