Meaning & use
phenomenon
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Meanings
nouncountable
Something that happens or exists and can be seen or studied, especially a natural or social event that people try to explain.
Grammar: The plural is phenomena: natural phenomena, not phenomenons.
Patterns
- a phenomenon of something
- a natural phenomenon
The northern lights are a beautiful natural phenomenon.
Scientists are studying the phenomenon of rising sea levels.
Online shopping is a relatively new phenomenon.
nouncountableinformal
A person or thing that is remarkable or extraordinary, especially because of unusual talent or success.
Grammar: Often used for people or products that become hugely popular: a global phenomenon.
Patterns
- a global phenomenon
- an overnight phenomenon
The young pianist became an overnight phenomenon.
The show turned into a worldwide phenomenon.
That runner is a phenomenon and wins almost everything.
nouncountabletechnical
In philosophy, an object or event as it appears to the senses, as opposed to what it is in itself.
Grammar: Technical sense; plural phenomena.
Patterns
- phenomena of experience
Kant separated phenomena from things in themselves.
The philosopher studied how phenomena appear in consciousness.
A phenomenon in this sense is whatever shows itself to the mind.
Word forms
| plural | phenomena |
|---|
Common combinations
- natural phenomenon
- A rainbow is a natural phenomenon caused by light and water.
- a social phenomenon
- Fast fashion is a social phenomenon with global effects.
- a global phenomenon
- The song became a global phenomenon within a week.
- a rare phenomenon
- A total eclipse is a rare phenomenon in most places.
- observe a phenomenon
- Astronomers observed the phenomenon for several nights.
Synonyms and how they differ
- occurrence
- Occurrence is a neutral word for any event, while phenomenon suggests something worth studying or explaining.
- event
- Event is general and usually has a specific time, whereas phenomenon can be an ongoing pattern.
- marvel
- Marvel stresses wonder and admiration, which phenomenon does not always carry.
- trend
- A trend is a general direction of change, while a phenomenon is the observable thing itself.
Word family
- phenomena noun
- plural of phenomenon
- phenomenal adjective
- extraordinary or remarkable
- phenomenally adverb
- extremely, in an extraordinary way
- phenomenology noun
- a philosophical study of experience
Commonly confused: phenomenon or phenomena?
phenomenon vs phenomena
Phenomena is the plural of phenomenon, so write one phenomenon but two phenomena. Phenomenons is rare and generally avoided.
Practice
Lightning, rainbows and tides are all natural ___.
Choose one answer.
The plural of phenomenon is phenomena, which fits after natural with more than one example. Phenomenons is nonstandard, and the other options are singular or an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “phenomenon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.