phenomenal
phenomenal Lexical Profile
phenomenal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Very remarkable, extraordinary, or exceptional in quality, degree, or performance.
"The young pianist delivered a phenomenal performance that earned a five-minute standing ovation."
Relating to or constituting a phenomenon, especially as perceptible by the senses or through immediate experience rather than by intuition or pure reason.
"In Kantian philosophy, human knowledge is limited to the phenomenal world of sensory experience."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday usage, 'phenomenal' means extraordinary or remarkable, whereas in philosophy (especially Kantian metaphysics), it strictly refers to objects and events as perceived by the senses, contrasted with 'noumenal' (things as they exist in themselves).
• Rhymes for phenomenal
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-19th century from 'phenomenon' plus the suffix '-al', ultimately tracing back to Ancient Greek 'phainomenon' ('that which appears or is seen'), from the verb 'phainein' ('to bring to light' or 'to cause to appear').