phenomenon

American  

[fi-nom-uh-non, -nuhn] / fɪˈnɒm əˌnɒn, -nən /

noun

• phenomena,
  plural
• phenomenons
  plural

1. 

   a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable.

   to study the phenomena of nature.

   Synonyms:

   incident, event

2. something that is impressive or extraordinary.

   Synonyms:

   miracle, marvel

3. a remarkable or exceptional person; prodigy; wonder.

   Synonyms:

   miracle, marvel

4. Philosophy.

   1. an appearance or immediate object of awareness in experience.

   2. Kantianism. a thing as it appears to and is constructed by the mind, as distinguished from a noumenon, or thing-in-itself.

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phenomenon British  

/ fɪˈnɒmɪnən /

noun

1. anything that can be perceived as an occurrence or fact by the senses

2. any remarkable occurrence or person

3. philosophy

   1. the object of perception, experience, etc

   2. (in the writings of Kant) a thing as it appears and is interpreted in perception and reflection, as distinguished from its real nature as a thing-in-itself Compare noumenon

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Usage

What does phenomenon mean? Phenomenon most generally refers to an observable occurrence or circumstance. For example, a hurricane is a kind of weather phenomenon. Phenomenon is also commonly used to refer to an extraordinary event or something that becomes the subject of widespread interest and attention, as in The movie has become a worldwide phenomenon. Sometimes, phenomenon refers to a person with an extraordinary talent or ability, especially a relatively young person who is considered a prodigy. The word phenom (a shortened form of phenomenon) is commonly used to mean the same thing, as in She became an internationally known chess phenom when she was just 14 years old. The plural of phenomenon is phenomena. The adjective phenomenal is most commonly used to mean highly extraordinary or exceptional, as in It was a phenomenal display of skill. It can also be used more generally to mean relating to phenomena in some way, as in My philosophy paper deals with the phenomenal qualities of existence. Example: Halley’s comet is a phenomenon that occurs every 76 years.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• phenomena
  plural
• phenomenons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of phenomenon

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin phaenomenon, from Greek phainómenon “appearance,” noun use of neuter of phainómenos, present participle of phaínesthai “to appear, become visible,” passive of phaínein “to show, bring to light, make known”

Explanation

A phenomenon is an extraordinary occurrence or circumstance. In the 1950s, rock-n-roll was considered a new cultural phenomenon, while today we think of crop circles as a mysterious phenomenon. Like many words with Greek roots, phenomenon started out as a science term. Scientists used it (and still do) to describe any event or fact that could be observed, amazing or not. An earthquake, for example, was a phenomenon, because you could see it (and hear it and feel it). Phenomenon is an example of a word having a specific meaning for one group of people that gets changed when used by the general public.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phenomenon phenomena phenomenons

Here is a look at how this year's phenomenon, in which a warmer sea surface shifts global weather patterns, has been affecting people globally:

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The search team's work, expected to take five days, could be hampered by giant land-dwelling crabs, as well as the El Niño climate phenomenon which is now the strongest ever recorded.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

This process can also transform the minerals and textures within the rock, a phenomenon known as metamorphism.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Simon is the latest in a busy hurricane season in the Pacific, where the powerful El Nino ocean warming phenomenon is weakening wind shear, allowing the storms to gain in strength.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

They read about the phenomenon of simultaneous contrast of colors, about complementary colors.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

"These first materials that we have studied are like a baby step, or a prototype problem, along the way to more complex phenomena such as high-temperature superconductors and quantum magnets."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

The anonymous account, whose picture resembled a "Jujutsu Kaisen" character dubbed by Tsuda, combined images and seemingly AI-generated speech about urban legends, occult phenomena and conspiracy theories.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

"We wanted to see whether this unique shape could also produce any unexpected physical phenomena."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

The same phenomena that we saw in the global financial crisis “are all in place now, again.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

With a background in math and physics, she brought to the job an understanding of the physical phenomena behind the calculations she worked on.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

And now they are poised to begin that most rare of modern phenomenons - a multi-week tour that includes a proper Test series.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher tell The Times about creating wand duels and on-demand nosebleeds to bring two global phenomenons to the stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025

The regional deluge was caused by the combined effect of two weather phenomenons, El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, said Nazanine Moshiri, a climate analyst at the International Crisis Group.

From Reuters ● Nov. 8, 2023

But the story’s been somewhat different from other global phenomenons like Squid Game, whose English subtitles came under fire for being woefully inaccurate.

From The Verge ● May 19, 2022

Their disappearances were phenomenons that happened every time Hyacinth gave Franz a bath.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• anomaly
• aspect
• circumstance
• episode
• event
• experience
• fact
• incident
• miracle
• paradox
• reality
• sensation