phenom

American  

[fee-nom, fi-nom] / ˈfi nɒm, fɪˈnɒm /

noun

Slang.

1. a phenomenon, especially a young prodigy.

   a twelve-year-old tennis phenom.

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phenom British  

/ fɪˈnɒm /

noun

1. informal a person or thing of outstanding abilities or qualities

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Usage

What does phenom mean? A phenom is a person with an extraordinary talent or ability. The word is especially used to refer to a relatively young person who is considered a prodigy.Phenom is a shortened version of the word phenomenon, which can be used to mean the same thing.The word phenom is often preceded by the particular field that the phenom excels in or the skill that they have, as in chess phenom or basketball phenom.Example: All eyes are on the gymnastics phenom as she makes her first international appearance.

Etymology

Origin of phenom

By shortening

Example Sentences

Bell’s journey—from teen phenom to potential NFL player—is a tale of the black market in youth sports.

From The Wall Street Journal

To rewind for the uninitiated, Nuzzi was a young phenom political reporter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Only one kept him around for consecutive seasons: the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by a young phenom named LeBron James.

From The Wall Street Journal

"An outstanding performance from him and he's just a phenom at the moment."

From BBC

But here, it’s directed at the young phenom Sasaki to bedevil hitters when he comes out in relief.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accomplished
• adept
• apt
• capable
• competent
• conversant
• efficient
• experienced
• gifted
• qualified
• skillful
• talented
• trained
• versed