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.

---

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

---

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

In a phenomenon known as “curve flattening,” the gain on the 30-year bond yield was more modest, causing a convergence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Still, educational prose, popular keywords, and trending topics explain just a bit of this phenomenon.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

For now, the National Weather Service is forecasting a “mostly cloudy” night, meaning that even geographical front-row seats to the celestial phenomenon won’t guarantee a solid viewing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

And of course, there is the “motherhood penalty” — the phenomenon that women experience slower wage growth and career advancement once they become mothers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

At this point it was clear that the phenomenon had nothing to do with what was or was not present within a supposed vacuum.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

There are other recurrent, globe-spanning climatic phenomena, but few people have heard of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, or the Southern Annular Mode, or the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

As James maintains: "As mental phenomena, they are defined on too abstract a level for the goals of cognitive neuroscience."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

Had I accidentally discovered a supernatural portal where time and space didn’t exist, one where random phenomena of blinding beauty could materialize on this plane without any logical explanation?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Martin Griffith, the director of Brecon Beacons Observatory, in Wales, described the eclipse as "one of the great phenomena of nature".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

We thus have many different phenomena converging on the same conclusion: that food production spread more readily out of Southwest Asia than in the Americas, and possibly also than in sub-Saharan Africa.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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

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

The former president scored a nod for outstanding narrator for his work on Netflix’s “Our Great National Parks,” a five-part docuseries that spans five continents and the natural phenomenons that make them beautiful.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2022

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