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phenom

/ˈfɛnəm/
IPA guide

Other forms: phenoms

An incredibly talented person can be called a phenom. You may dream of being recognized as a musical phenom during your ukulele performance at the school talent show.

Young athletes with extraordinary skills are commonly described as phenoms, and it's no surprise that the term originated in baseball slang. It's a shortened form of phenomenon, "extraordinary occurrence," coined in the 1890s. A rookie pitcher who throws a no-hitter is a phenom, and so is someone like Greta Thunberg, who became a famous climate activist as a teenager. Use this word for people you find to be phenomenally inspiring!

Definitions of phenom
  1. noun
    an unusually gifted or intelligent person of any age; someone whose talents excite wonder and admiration
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