epiphenomenon
noun
epi·phe·nom·e·non
ˌe-pi-fi-ˈnä-mə-ˌnän 
-nən
plural epiphenomena
ˌe-pi-fi-ˈnä-mə-ˌnä
-nə
: a secondary phenomenon accompanying another and caused by it
specifically
: a secondary mental phenomenon that is caused by and accompanies a physical phenomenon but has no causal influence itself
Examples of epiphenomenon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is this epiphenomenon that represents something much more deeply, structurally wrong in the American way of life.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2022
But if corporate climate action is partially an epiphenomenon of the labor market, then even a widespread conservative regime is unlikely to fully undermine it.
—Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 29 June 2022
Dreams, in other words, were just a neurological epiphenomenon left over from the meaningful parts of sleep — a side effect, an accident of biology, much like the way an incandescent light bulb designed to create light also happens to put out heat.
—New York Times, 3 Nov. 2021
Physicists, notably Eugene Wigner and John Wheeler, have speculated that consciousness, far from being a mere epiphenomenon of matter, is an essential component of reality.
—John Horgan, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2021
Life, according to Crick, was an epiphenomenon of physics and chemistry — complex, yes, but still explicable in molecular terms.
—New York Times, 24 Mar. 2021
Knowland is not an epiphenomenon of cancel culture writ large, a hapless victim of the times.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 4 Dec. 2020
The new conspiracism is more than simply an offshoot or epiphenomenon of other forces such as authoritarianism or strident populism.
—N.c., The Economist, 12 Aug. 2019
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Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2022
But if corporate climate action is partially an epiphenomenon of the labor market, then even a widespread conservative regime is unlikely to fully undermine it.
—Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 29 June 2022
Dreams, in other words, were just a neurological epiphenomenon left over from the meaningful parts of sleep — a side effect, an accident of biology, much like the way an incandescent light bulb designed to create light also happens to put out heat.
—New York Times, 3 Nov. 2021
Physicists, notably Eugene Wigner and John Wheeler, have speculated that consciousness, far from being a mere epiphenomenon of matter, is an essential component of reality.
—John Horgan, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2021
Life, according to Crick, was an epiphenomenon of physics and chemistry — complex, yes, but still explicable in molecular terms.
—New York Times, 24 Mar. 2021
Knowland is not an epiphenomenon of cancel culture writ large, a hapless victim of the times.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 4 Dec. 2020
The new conspiracism is more than simply an offshoot or epiphenomenon of other forces such as authoritarianism or strident populism.
—N.c., The Economist, 12 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Epiphenomenon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphenomenon. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
epiphenomenon
noun
epi·phe·nom·e·non
ˌep-i-fə-ˈnäm-ə-ˌnän, -nən
: an accidental or accessory event or process occurring in the course of a disease but not necessarily related to that disease
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