phenomenon

noun

A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof.

A fact or event considered very unusual, curious, or astonishing by those who witness it.

A wonderful or very remarkable person or thing.

(by extension) A knowable thing or event (e.g. by inference, especially in science).

A kind or type of phenomenon (sense 1 or 2).

Appearance; a perceptible aspect of something that is mutable.

(philosophy, chiefly Kantian idealism) An experienced object whose constitution reflects the order and conceptual structure imposed upon it by the human mind (especially by the powers of perception and understanding).

Roots

phainomenonphenomen- · Greek · appearing thing

Synonyms for phenomenon

occurrencen anomalyn peculiarityn happeningn miraclen apparitionn sensationn rarityn incidentn

Synonyms & related words for phenomenon

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Words related to phenomenon

Explore words related to phenomenon — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include phenomena, phenomenally, phenomenalism, epiphenomenon, glacialist, phenom, phenomenal, anomalousness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for phenomenon

Common synonyms for phenomenon include occurrence, anomaly, peculiarity, happening, miracle, apparition, sensation, rarity — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does phenomenon come from?

The word phenomenon breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root phenomen-, from Greek phainomenon (“appearing thing”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.