transcend

American  

[tran-send] / trænˈsɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed.

   to transcend the limits of thought; kindness transcends courtesy.

2. to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc.; surpass; excel.

   Synonyms:

   outstrip

3. Theology. (of the Deity) to be above and independent of (the universe, time, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

1. to be transcendent or superior; excel.

   His competitiveness made him want to transcend.

transcend British  

/ trænˈsɛnd /

verb

1. to go above or beyond (a limit, expectation, etc), as in degree or excellence

2. (tr) to be superior to

3. philosophy theol (esp of the Deity) to exist beyond (the material world)

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Other Word Forms

• transcendingly adverb
• untranscended adjective

Etymology

Origin of transcend

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin trānscendere “to surmount,” from trāns- trans- + -scendere (combining form of scandere “to climb”)

Example Sentences

McManus suggested that people’s love for their furry, feathery or scaly companions transcends party lines.

From Los Angeles Times

“Average artists sort of get forgotten but iconic artists transcend time and place.”

From Los Angeles Times

The album is meant as a "decolonial plea and a project for unity, where music plays an essential role because it transcends borders."

From Barron's

Stuffed cabbages, for example, are a hearty delicacy that transcends geographical borders.

From Salon

As music “that transcended enmities to forge a connection between all the people born of this land,” Vargas Llosa writes, channeling Toño’s enthusiasm, the vals is the exemplary art form of a “mongrel nation.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• eclipse
• outstrip
• overstep
• transform