phenomenon

noun

phe·nom·e·non fi-ˈnä-mə-ˌnän

-nən

plural phenomena fi-ˈnä-mə-nə

-ˌnä

or phenomenons

Synonyms of phenomenon next

plural phenomena : an observable fact or event

plural phenomena

: an object or aspect known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition

: a temporal or spatiotemporal object of sensory experience as distinguished from a noumenon

: a fact or event of scientific interest susceptible to scientific description and explanation

: a rare or significant fact or event

plural phenomenons : an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, thing, or occurrence

Can phenomena be used as a singular?: Usage Guide

Phenomena has been in occasional use as a singular since the early 18th century, as has the plural phenomenas. Our evidence shows that singular phenomena is primarily a speech form used by poets, critics, and professors, among others, but one that sometimes turns up in edited prose.

Although it seemed like a fad a few years ago, Twitter has evolved into a phenomena with more than 200 million users … —

Myron P. Medcalf

It is etymologically no more irregular than stamina and agenda, but it has nowhere near the frequency of use that they have, and while they are standard, phenomena is still rather borderline.

Example Sentences

For example, we talk more loudly in cars, because of a phenomenon known as the Lombard effect—the speaker involuntarily raises his voice to compensate for background noise. —

John Seabrook, New Yorker, 23 June 2008

This follow-the-winemaker phenomenon is a unique wrinkle in our wine culture. —

James Laube, Wine Spectator, 15 May 2008

The days and nights of the Irish pub, smoky and dark and intimate, are giving way to another phenomenon: the superpub. These are immense places, loud with music; part honkytonk, part dance hall, some servicing as many as a thousand drinkers on several floors. —

Pete Hamill, Gourmet, April 2007

They were ephemera and phenomena on the face of a contemporary scene. That is, there was really no place for them in the culture, in the economy, yet they were there, at that time, and everyone knew that they wouldn't last very long, which they didn't. —

William Faulkner, letter, 7 Mar. 1957

natural phenomena like lightning and earthquakes the greatest literary phenomenon of the decade The movie eventually became a cultural phenomenon. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Famously, in 1976 a photo taken from the Viking I spacecraft exemplified this phenomenon on a large scale. —

Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 17 May 2023 This phenomenon is known as a coronal mass ejection, called CME for short. —

Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023 And the younger generation—mainly millennials and Gen Z, from teens to people in their early 40s—are likely driving this soaring phenomenon. —

Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 15 May 2023 Although pop-up pizza is a national phenomenon, the New York school reflects local tastes. —

Pete Wells, New York Times, 9 May 2023 Pictures, Instagram stories, and even the occasional text from your ex will only amplify the phenomenon of romanticizing a relationship that wasn't working. —

Megan Schaltegger, Women's Health, 8 May 2023 The phenomenon is caused by warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, and can impact weather patterns all over the world. —

Alex Knapp, Forbes, 6 May 2023 In a 360-degree immersive theater, a twelve-minute show projects video of natural phenomena onto the curved walls and floor, displaying DNA and natural ecosystems. —

Carolyn Hagler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2023 However, scientific evidence does not back up ROGD as a real phenomenon. —

Jocelyn Solis-moreira, Health, 2 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phenomenon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin phaenomenon, from Greek phainomenon, from neuter of phainomenos, present participle of phainesthai to appear, middle voice of phainein to show — more at fancy

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of phenomenon was in 1583

See more words from the same year