epiphenomenon

[ ep-uh-fuh-nom-uh-non, -nuhn ]

noun,plural ep·i·phe·nom·e·na

[ep-uh-fuh-nom-uh-nuh], /ˌɛp ə fəˈnɒm ə nə/, ep·i·phe·nom·e·nons.

Pathology. a secondary or additional symptom or complication arising during the course of a disease.
any secondary phenomenon.

Origin of epiphenomenon

First recorded in 1700–10; epi- + phenomenon

Other words from epiphenomenon

ep·i·phe·nom·e·nal, adjective
ep·i·phe·nom·e·nal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use epiphenomenon in a sentence

Though Zadra and Stickgold reject the idea that dreams are random epiphenomena, they also stress that dreams only rarely replay or resolve actual life situations.
In our dreams, a theater of the unconscious | Nick Romeo | January 22, 2021 | Washington Post
This is the thesis of the epiphenomenal consciousness which Huxley has boldly carried to its uttermost conclusions.
The Mind and the Brain | Alfred Binet

British Dictionary definitions for epiphenomenon

epiphenomenon

/ (ˌɛpɪfɪˈnɒmɪnən) /

nounplural -na (-nə)

a secondary or additional phenomenon; by-product
pathol an unexpected or atypical symptom or occurrence during the course of a disease

Derived forms of epiphenomenon

epiphenomenal, adjective
epiphenomenally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse