emergence
gb/ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns/ us/ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns/
B2
English
~ 5700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
event
1
the act of coming into view
The act of coming out from somewhere or from a situation so that people can see you or notice you.
Usage pattern:
the emergence of [someone/something] from [a place/situation]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "emergence" with "emergency". "Emergence" is about coming out or becoming visible, while "emergency" is a serious and sudden problem that needs immediate action.
Synonyms
appearance (More general; can describe how something looks as well as the act of coming into view.)
|
entry (Focuses more on going into a place than on becoming visible or free.)
Antonyms
disappearance (Describes something going out of sight, the opposite of coming into view.)
|
confinement (Describes being kept inside or limited, the opposite situation of coming out.)
Collocations
emergence from lockdown
|emergence from the shadows
|emergence from bankruptcy
|sudden emergence
|dramatic emergence
|emergence into view
Themes
daily life
|movement
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Their sudden emergence from the fog startled the hikers.
- After months of isolation, her emergence from the hospital was emotional for the whole family.
- The bird’s quiet emergence from the nest went unnoticed at first.
- The company’s emergence from bankruptcy took several difficult years.
- The film follows his emergence from a troubled past into a more hopeful life.
Learner examples
- We waited for the singer’s emergence from the stage door.
- After the storm, the town celebrated its slow emergence from crisis.
- Her emergence from the room was a surprise to everyone.
- The country’s emergence from war took a long time.
- Their emergence from the cave was shown on live TV.
Noun
B2
event
2
the rise or development of something
The slow rise of something new or small until it becomes important or well known.
Usage pattern:
the emergence of [idea/industry/country/person] (as [a role])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "start" or "beginning" instead of "emergence" in formal writing. "Emergence" often suggests not only a start but also a rise to importance over a period of time. Also, they may say *"the emergence for" instead of the correct pattern "the emergence of".
Synonyms
rise (Very common and broad; often slightly less formal than "emergence" and can refer more simply to increase in power or number.)
|
development (Focuses more on the process of change and growth than on the first clear appearance.)
|
advent (More formal and often used for the arrival of a significant new thing, especially in history or technology.)
Antonyms
decline (Focuses on the loss of power or importance, the opposite of rising to importance.)
|
disappearance (Focuses on something no longer being present or noticeable, the opposite of becoming noticeable.)
Collocations
the emergence of democracy
|the emergence of a new leader
|the emergence of a global power
|rapid emergence
|gradual emergence
|the emergence of social media
Themes
society
|politics
|business
|history
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The emergence of social media has changed how people communicate.
- Economists are studying the emergence of a new middle class in the region.
- The film explores the emergence of a young politician as a national figure.
- Historians debate the emergence of modern democracy in Europe.
- The rapid emergence of new technologies can make older skills obsolete.
Learner examples
- We have seen the emergence of many new jobs in tech.
- The book describes the emergence of the modern city.
- Many people worry about the emergence of new diseases.
- The emergence of women leaders has changed the company culture.
- The teacher spoke about the emergence of the internet in the 1990s.
Noun
technical
C1
event
3
complex properties arising from simple parts
In science, the idea that very simple things can join together and create new, complex behavior that you would not guess by only looking at the small parts.
Usage pattern:
the emergence of [property/behavior] from [system/process]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this technical sense with the general idea of something simply "appearing". In scientific texts, "emergence" often implies that the new property cannot be easily predicted just from the parts, not just that it shows up.
Synonyms
emergent behavior (A phrase used within the same field; focuses specifically on the behavior that results from emergence.)
|
self-organization (Highlights the internal ordering process that often leads to emergence, but is not always identical in meaning.)
Antonyms
reductionism (A contrasting approach that attempts to explain systems entirely by their parts, denying or minimizing independent emergent properties.)
Collocations
the emergence of consciousness
|emergence in complex systems
|strong emergence
|weak emergence
|emergence and self-organization
|emergence of intelligence
Themes
science
|philosophy
|technology
Examples
- Researchers argue that consciousness might be an example of emergence in the brain.
- In complexity science, emergence describes how simple rules can generate highly intricate patterns.
- The book provides a clear introduction to emergence and its role in artificial intelligence.
- Physicists debate whether the emergence of time can be explained from more basic physical laws.
- The game is used in class to demonstrate the emergence of crowd behavior from individual decisions.
Learner examples
- In class, we talked about emergence in complex systems.
- Some scientists say that life is an example of emergence.
- This simple computer game shows the emergence of a moving pattern.
- The teacher used birds flying together to explain emergence.
- Emergence is an important idea in modern physics and biology.
Noun
technical
C1
event
4
coming out of an insect or organism
In biology, when an insect or other animal comes out from an egg, a pupa, or the ground and starts its active life.
Usage pattern:
the emergence of [species/individuals] from [egg/pupa/soil]
Synonyms
hatching (Common word for coming out of an egg; "emergence" is broader and more technical, including pupae or soil.)
Antonyms
encapsulation (Describes being enclosed in a protective covering, the opposite stage of coming out of it.)
Collocations
adult emergence
|mass emergence
|emergence time
|emergence from pupae
|emergence from the soil
|cicada emergence
Themes
biology
|nature
|science
|animals
Examples
- The timing of mosquito emergence is closely linked to temperature and rainfall.
- We recorded the daily emergence of adults from the pupae over three weeks.
- The mass emergence of cicadas filled the forest with a loud, constant sound.
- Light levels can affect the emergence of many nocturnal insect species.
- Researchers synchronized the emergence of the flies for the experiment.
Learner examples
- The emergence of the butterflies happens in late spring.
- Scientists watched the emergence of insects from the soil.
- We measured the date of each insect’s emergence from the pupa.
- The mass emergence of the bugs surprised the farmers.
- Weather can change the time of insect emergence.
Grammar
Dictionary form
emergence
IPA
GB/ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns/
US/ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns/
Syllables & stress
emer - gence (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gence)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: emergence
- Plural: emergence, emergences
Word family
Expressions
emergence from
1/ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns fɹˈʌm/
fixed phrase
used before naming what is exited
A common phrase used before saying the place or situation that someone or something comes out of.
Examples
- Their emergence from the cave was broadcast live.
- The country’s slow emergence from recession took nearly a decade.
- Scientists recorded the insects’ emergence from the soil.
emergence theory
1/ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns θˈiɚi/
fixed phrase
technical
theory about emergent properties
A scientific or philosophical theory that explains how new, complex things appear when many simple things interact.
Examples
- Emergence theory challenges purely reductionist explanations of the mind.
- Some philosophers use emergence theory to discuss free will.
- In the seminar, we compared emergence theory with traditional systems theory.
the emergence of
1/ðə ɪmˈɚd͡ʒəns əv/
fixed phrase
used before naming what is rising
A common phrase used before saying what new thing is starting to appear or become important.
Examples
- The emergence of new technologies has changed the job market.
- Many books discuss the emergence of modern nationalism in Europe.
- We are witnessing the emergence of a more active youth movement.