immanent
Americanadjective
-
remaining within; indwelling; inherent.
- Antonyms:
- superimposed, extrinsic
-
Philosophy. (of a mental act) taking place within the mind of the subject and having no effect outside of it.
-
Theology. (of the Deity) indwelling the universe, time, etc.
adjective
-
existing, operating, or remaining within; inherent
-
of or relating to the pantheistic conception of God, as being present throughout the universe Compare transcendent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immanent
First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin immanent- (stem of immanēns ), present participle of immanēre “to stay in,” equivalent to im- “in” ( see im- 1) + man(ēre) “to stay” + -ent- adjective suffix ( see -ent); see also remain
Explanation
Something immanent is inherent in and spread throughout something else — it's innate, intrinsic and inborn. Philosophers might debate about whether generosity is an immanent trait or something that people are taught. In addition to referring to something inherent or intrinsic, the word immanent can also describe something that is totally mental. Both meanings of this word have to do with internal things. Sometimes, immanent means a quality that is essential to something. Psychologists claim the need to love and be loved is an immanent trait of human beings — we all have it. Some people think there is an immanent spirit or force in nature. Also, immanent things are ideas and feelings that only exist in your mind — they remain within. If you keep your ideas to yourself, they’re immanent.
Vocabulary lists containing immanent
Grendel
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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A Wizard of Earthsea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nonetheless, they worked within the existing social and political structure to bore new lines of flight out of it through a process of immanent critique.
From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024
Blackness in abstraction, as the curator Adrienne Edwards has written, is a more capacious and immanent model of artistic creation than many of our institutions can handle.
From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2022
In the summer of 1914, each of the great powers reached the conclusion that war was inevitable, and that trying to stay out of the immanent conflict would lead to national decline.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020
In later works, light is more complex, more immanent to the scene.
From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2019
The eminent Archbishop Latour, knowing that his death was imminent, felt God was immanent.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
