phenomenal

phenomenal — adjective

1. much better, larger, or more successful than people expected, and therefore very

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

much better, larger, or more successful than people expected, and therefore very impressive.

Example

The young singer had a phenomenal year and sold out Taipei Arena.

phenomenal + noun for striking success

After the storm, volunteers did a phenomenal job clearing the beach.

collocation: do a phenomenal job

Common collocations
  • phenomenal success
  • phenomenal growth
  • phenomenal talent
  • phenomenal memory
  • do a phenomenal job
Synonyms
  • amazing

    a close everyday word that often stresses surprise more strongly

  • outstanding

    focuses on being clearly better than others in the same group

  • remarkable

    slightly more measured and common in formal comments

  • extraordinary

    more formal and stresses being far outside the normal range

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

phenomenal + noun

be phenomenal

Usage Note

Common with nouns like success, growth, talent, memory, and job. After a linking verb, it often sounds like strong spoken praise; before a noun, it labels the impressive result more directly.

Common Mistakes

The new cafe is phenomenal because it is near my office.
The new cafe is convenient because it is near my office.
phenomenal is strong praise for something unusually impressive, not simply useful.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

When you use 'phenomenal', you are giving very strong praise and suggesting that the result is so good, large, or successful that it surprises people. 'Amazing' is the closest everyday choice, but it often sounds more emotional and less exact. 'Outstanding' stresses being clearly better than others, so it fits awards, students, or job performance well. 'Remarkable' is calmer and often works better in formal writing. 'Extraordinary' is more formal still and highlights being outside the normal range. Compare these: 'a phenomenal performance' sounds excited and emphatic, 'an outstanding student' suggests top ranking, and 'remarkable progress' gives measured praise. You can also talk about 'phenomenal growth' when numbers rise far faster than expected.

phenomenal ↗amazing ↗outstanding ↗remarkable ↗extraordinary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • phenomenal success
  • phenomenal growth
  • phenomenal talent
  • phenomenal memory
  • phenomenal demand

Phrases

  • do a phenomenal job
  • have a phenomenal year
  • show phenomenal growth
  • be phenomenal on stage

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Formed in English in the nineteenth century from 'phenomenon' and the adjective ending '-al'. It first described something connected with a phenomenon, meaning something that appears or can be observed. Later it developed the everyday sense of 'strikingly impressive or unusual'. The older noun came into English through Latin from Greek words meaning 'something that appears'.