any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning
"The sudden appearance of a rainbow was a visible phenomenon that everyone in the crowd could observe directly."
a remarkable development
"The sudden rise in remote work became an unexpected phenomenon across all industries."
A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof.
"The sudden appearance of a rare aurora was a breathtaking natural phenomenon visible to everyone in the valley."
In plain English: A phenomenon is an event, fact, or situation that can be observed and noticed by people.
"The strange lights in the sky were reported by many people as an unusual phenomenon."
Usage: Use the singular form phenomenon to refer to one observable event or natural wonder, and its plural is also phenomena. Avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words like phenomenon (incorrectly used as an adjective) by remembering that this noun describes anything perceivable through the senses.
The word phenomenon comes from the Late Latin phaenomenon, meaning "appearance," which was borrowed directly from Ancient Greek. It originally referred specifically to a thing that appears or is shown when viewed by an observer.