different between incredible vs phenomenal

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incr?dibilis (“that cannot be believed”), from in- (“not”) + cr?dibilis (“worthy of belief”), from cr?d? (“believe”).

Pronunciation

• (US) enPR: ?ngkr?'d?b?l, IPA^(key): /???k??d?b?l/, [????k??????b??], [????k??????b??]
• (UK) IPA^(key): /???k??d?b?l/
• Rhymes: -?d?b?l

Adjective

incredible (comparative more incredible, superlative most incredible)

1. (literally) Too implausible to be credible; beyond belief; unbelievable. [from 15th c.]
   • 1980 September 16, Senator John Glenn, quoted in William A. Schwartz et al., The Nuclear Seduction: Why the Arms Race Doesn’t Matter—And What Does, University of California Press (1990, 1993), ?ISBN, page 29:

     I get lost in what is credible and not credible. This whole thing gets so incredible when you consider wiping out whole nations, it is difficult to establish credibility.

   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, page 796:

     He therefore found revealed religion incredible in a literal sense, and, as Bayle had done before him, he radically separated morality from the practice of organized religion.

2. (figuratively) Amazing; astonishing; awe-inspiring.

3. (figuratively) Marvellous; profoundly affecting; wonderful.

Synonyms

• unbelievable

Antonyms

• credible

Related terms

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• phænomenal (archaic)

Etymology

phenomenon +? -al

Adjective

phenomenal (comparative more phenomenal, superlative most phenomenal)

1. (colloquial) Very remarkable; highly extraordinary; amazing.
2. (sciences) Perceptible by the senses through immediate experience.
3. (philosophy) Of or pertaining to the appearance of the world, as opposed to the ultimate nature of the world as it is in itself.

Synonyms

• (very remarkable): awesome (slang)

Derived terms

• phenomenal world
• transphenomenal

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “phenomenal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary