Meanings
plural noumena
- A thing as it is independent of any conceptualization or perception by the human mind, postulated by practical reason but existing in a condition which is in principle unknowable and unexperienceable.
That, we have seen, is what prevents the two truths from collapsing into an appearance/reality or phenomenon/noumenon distinction.
2003 January, Jay L. Garfield, Graham Priest, “Nāgārjuna and the Limits of Thought”, in Philosophy East & West, volume 53, number 1, page 162 more examples
The final result of Kant's philosophy, expressed in the concisest terms, was the proposition, so humiliating to human cognition, but, at the same time, so fertile in consequences, that we can know only phenomena, or the outward appearances of things, but not the noumenon, or the thing in itself.
1871 January, David Asher, “Schopenhauer and Darwinism”, in Journal of Anthropology, volume 1, number 3, page 317We have no specific concept of the noumenon, but think of it merely as whatever the object may be apart from the manner in which our knowledge exhibits it.
1954 July, Bella K. Milmed, “Theories of Religious Knowledge from Kant to Jaspers”, in Philosophy, volume 29, pages 197–198Synonyms: thing-in-itself · Antonyms: phenomenon
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA thing as it is independent of any conceptualization or perception by the human mind, postulated by practical reason but existing in a condition which is in principle unknowable and unexperienceable.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe intellectual conception of a thing as it is in itself, not as it is known through perception
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekνοούμενον“thing that is known”
- GermanNoumenon
- Englishnoumenon
From German Noumenon, from Ancient Greek νοούμενον (nooúmenon, “thing that is known”), passive present participle of νοέω (noéō, “I know”).
More words from German, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic نُومِينُون
- نُومِينُون (nūmenon)thing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Catalan noümen
- noümenthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Czech noumenon
- noumenonthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Estonian noumen, noumenon
- noumenthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
- noumenonthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Finnish noumeeni
- noumeenithing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
French noumène
- noumènething as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
German Noumenon
- Noumenonthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Greek νοούμενο
- νοούμενο (nooúmeno)thing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Italian noumeno
- noumenothing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Japanese ヌーメノン
- ヌーメノン (nūmenon)thing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Korean 누메논
- 누메논 (numenon)thing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Lithuanian noumenas
- noumenasthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Polish noumen, noumenon
- noumenthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
- noumenonthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
- rzecz sama w sobiething as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Portuguese númeno
- númenothing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Romanian numen
- numenthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Russian ноу́мен
- ноу́мен (noúmen)thing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Spanish noúmeno
- noúmenothing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Turkish numen
- numenthing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Ukrainian ноу́мен
- ноу́мен (noúmen)thing as it is independent of any conceptualization — see also thing-in-itself
Cite this entry
noumenon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/noumenon
“noumenon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/noumenon. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “noumenon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/noumenon.
Source: noumenon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.