phenomenal
adjective
phe·nom·e·nal
fi-ˈnä-mə-nᵊl 
: relating to or being a phenomenon: such as
a
: known through the senses rather than through thought or intuition
b
: concerned with phenomena rather than with hypotheses
c
Examples of phenomenal in a Sentence
The catch soared year after year, reaching a peak of 1.6 billion pounds in 1956. But not even the fish's phenomenal fecundity could sustain them under this industrial onslaught.
—
Bruce Franklin, Mother Jones, March & April 2006
The region's two main communities are Camden, with its very old money and … five-star restaurants and phenomenal B&Bs, and Rockland, a serious old fishing town that hosts the Festival every summer in historic Harbor Park, right along the water.
—David Foster Wallace, Gourmet, August 2004
Physical prowess aside, the concentration required on the beam is phenomenal.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 18 Oct. 2000
Given his phenomenal poll numbers in a race he has not yet officially entered …
—Julia Reed, Vogue, February 1999
the phenomenal growth that the suburb has experienced over the last decade
the phenomenal ability to remember the names of thousands of people
Bruce Franklin, Mother Jones, March & April 2006
The region's two main communities are Camden, with its very old money and … five-star restaurants and phenomenal B&Bs, and Rockland, a serious old fishing town that hosts the Festival every summer in historic Harbor Park, right along the water.
—David Foster Wallace, Gourmet, August 2004
Physical prowess aside, the concentration required on the beam is phenomenal.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 18 Oct. 2000
Given his phenomenal poll numbers in a race he has not yet officially entered …
—Julia Reed, Vogue, February 1999
the phenomenal growth that the suburb has experienced over the last decade
the phenomenal ability to remember the names of thousands of people
Recent Examples on the Web
Because the basketball after halftime was phenomenal.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
At Mayfield in San Juan Capistrano, owner George Barker and chef Jon Sarmenta have taken that viral architecture and combined it with a Levant bent to create their phenomenal Batata Harra Thousand Layer Potatoes.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Add to that the phenomenal success of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori—proving that novella-length books could succeed as standalone volumes—and editors were clamoring for more Japanese women writers in translation.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Both teams traded hoops in the opening quarter, and a surgical play by Jacob Klass, who was relatively quiet with 14 points yet did a phenomenal job as playmaker and defender, put Beverly ahead, 16-13, after one.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for phenomenal
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Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
At Mayfield in San Juan Capistrano, owner George Barker and chef Jon Sarmenta have taken that viral architecture and combined it with a Levant bent to create their phenomenal Batata Harra Thousand Layer Potatoes.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Add to that the phenomenal success of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori—proving that novella-length books could succeed as standalone volumes—and editors were clamoring for more Japanese women writers in translation.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Both teams traded hoops in the opening quarter, and a surgical play by Jacob Klass, who was relatively quiet with 14 points yet did a phenomenal job as playmaker and defender, put Beverly ahead, 16-13, after one.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for phenomenal
Cite this Entry
“Phenomenal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phenomenal. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
phenomenal
adjective
phe·nom·e·nal
fi-ˈnäm-ən-ᵊl
1
: of, relating to, or being a phenomenon
2
: very remarkable : extraordinary
a phenomenal memory
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