Dictionary

phenom en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈfiːnɒm/
• /fəˈnɒm/ (uncommon)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂nyéti Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō) Ancient Greek φαινόμενον (phainómenon)bor. Late Latin phaenomenonder. English phenomenonclip. English phenom Clipping of phenomenon (“remarkable occurrence”). American English, c. 1890s.

Meanings

1. Someone or something that is phenomenal, especially a promising young player in sports like baseball, American football, basketball, tennis, and golf.
   • Managed and shortstopped by George Wright and full of league stalwarts—Joe Start, Paul Hines, and Jim O'rourke—they also had 1-year-old phenom Monte Ward as primary moundsman (teams now generally used multiple pitchers). 2017, Brandon Isleib, Playing for a Winner, page 77:
   • Co-founder Peng Zhihui first rose to fame as a teenage social media phenom, gaining millions of followers by showcasing complex DIY tech projects, such as self-balancing robots, a miniature TV, and a self-driving bicycle. 2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time:
   • It is the first all-teen final since 1999 – when neither was born – which saw Serena Williams, 17, beat an 18-year-old Martina Hingis. Teen phenoms were relatively commonplace back then, especially on the women’s side, occasionally on the men’s. 2021 September 11, Tim Lewis, “Focused, fearless, unflappable – the teenage stars taking sport by storm”, in The Observer, →ISSN:
2. One who is hip and fashionable.
   • Jones is a pop-culture phenom whose bold antics, outlandish personality, and dazzling looks defied all norms. 2013, Ytasha L. Womack, Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, →ISBN, page 105:

Forms

Relateds

child prodigy