What does phenomenal mean?
Word: Phenomenal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Phenomenal means extremely good, great or impressive, far beyond what is usual.
Synonyms: extraordinary, outstanding, amazing
Antonyms: ordinary, average
Word origin: From Greek, through the word for a thing that appears or can be seen.
How do you spell phenomenal?
Syllables: phe - nom - e - nal
Tricky part: The third vowel is e, not i, so phenominal is wrong. Students who hear only the f sound at the start also write fenomenal.
Watch out for: phenominal, fenomenal, phenomanal
Memory tip: Phenomenal joins phone, photo and phantom in spelling its f sound ph, as many words from Greek do.
Phenomenal in a sentence
Example 1: The young spinner took a phenomenal seven wickets in her first match.
Example 2: The view of the snow peaks from the hotel window was phenomenal.
Example 3: His phenomenal memory let him recite the whole poem after reading it twice.
Fun Fact
Phenomenal first meant to do with things you can see or sense, a meaning philosophers still use; the everyday sense of amazingly good came later, in the 1800s.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
phen_men_l
a) i, a
b) o, o
c) a, a
d) o, a
Show answer
d) o, a. Phe-nom-e-nal: the second beat is nom with an o, and the word closes with al.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word phenomenal as used in the sentence:
The new bowler showed phenomenal speed in his first match for the state team.
a) modest
b) gentle
c) remarkable
d) steady
Show answer
c) remarkable. Remarkable speed makes people sit up and take notice, just as phenomenal speed does.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. phenomenal 2. mischievious 3. negligant 4. hygeine
a) not taking proper care
b) amazingly good or large
c) causing trouble in a playful way
d) the habits that keep you clean and healthy
Show answer
b) amazingly good or large. Mischievous has no i before ous, hygiene has i before e, and negligent ends in ent; that leaves phenomenal.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The choir gave a lomhnnpaee performance at the annual day, and the audience stood to cheer.
a) pentagonal
b) phenomenal
c) hormonal
d) nominal
Show answer
b) phenomenal. A performance that brings an audience to its feet is phenomenal; each other choice lacks the jumble's p or its h.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A phenomenal memory is one that is ____.
a) so ordinary nobody notices it
b) so muddled it mixes up names
c) so good that it amazes people
d) so weak that it fails often
Show answer
c) so good that it amazes people
2. Which of these would a sports reporter call phenomenal?
a) a team losing by a narrow margin
b) a new runner breaking the national record
c) a match called off because of rain
d) a player arriving late for training
Show answer
b) a new runner breaking the national record
