emergence

The process of starting to exist, becoming known, or gaining importance.

• The emergence of new technology created jobs.
• We welcomed her emergence as a national leader.
• The city’s emergence as a business center took decades.

How to use it: emergence of someone/something (The emergence of a new leader changed the party.); emergence as something (Her emergence as a major writer surprised critics.)

Similar words: rise, appearance

Opposites: disappearance, decline

Common phrases: emergence of something, sudden emergence, emergence as something

The act of coming out of somewhere or becoming visible after being hidden.

• We watched the seedlings’ emergence from the soil.
• The whale’s emergence from the water startled us.
• Her emergence into daylight marked the end of the rescue.

How to use it: emergence from something (We watched the butterfly’s emergence from its cocoon.)

Similar words: appearance

Opposites: disappearance

Common phrases: emergence from something, emergence into daylight

The development of new features when simple parts work together in a complex system.

• Emergence can produce surprising patterns.
• The model shows emergence from simple interactions.
• Scientists study emergence to understand how collective behavior develops.

Common phrases: emergence of something, strong emergence