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phenomenology

American  
[fi-nom-uh-nol-uh-jee] / fɪˌnɒm əˈnɒl ə dʒi /

noun

Philosophy.
  1. the study of phenomena.

  2. the system of Husserl and his followers stressing the description of phenomena.


phenomenology British  
/ fɪˌnɒmɪˈnɒlədʒɪ /

noun

  1. the movement founded by Husserl that concentrates on the detailed description of conscious experience, without recourse to explanation, metaphysical assumptions, and traditional philosophical questions

  2. the science of phenomena as opposed to the science of being

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of phenomenology

First recorded in 1790–1800; phenomen(on) + -o- + -logy


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.

See Examples For:

But their phenomenology, he concludes, is nothing like our consciousness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

In IIT’s understanding of consciousness, the painter brilliantly renders the phenomenology of the natural world onto a two-dimensional canvas.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 8, 2023

"Stellar phenomenology is extremely rich, and no two stars are the same if looked at closely enough."

From Reuters ● Jul. 21, 2023

In particular, scholarship in the disciplines of hermeneutics and phenomenology questioned what we can know and how we should approach the acquisition of knowledge.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Both phenomenology and existentialism value experience, man's capacities for surprise and knowing, and honor the evolving of the "new."

From Humanistic Nursing by Josephine G. Paterson

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