-n ə lˌizəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: phenomenal (I) + -ism
1. : a theory that limits positive or scientific knowledge to phenomena only
2. : a theory that we know only phenomena and that there is no existence except the phenomenal
3. : a theory that any statements containing names of things or physical objects can be expressed in terms of statements containing the names of sense-data to the exclusion of names of physical objects