transcend

[tran-send]

See more synonyms for transcend on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed: to transcend the limits of thought; kindness transcends courtesy.
to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc.; surpass; excel.
Theology. (of the Deity) to be above and independent of (the universe, time, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to be transcendent or superior; excel: His competitiveness made him want to transcend.

Origin of transcend

1300–50; Middle English < Latin trānscendere to surmount, equivalent to trāns- trans- + -scendere, combining form of scandere to climb

Related formstran·scend·ing·ly, adverbun·tran·scend·ed, adjective

Synonyms for transcend

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2. outstrip.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for transcend

overstep, eclipse, transform, outstrip, exceed, beat, top, excel, better, outshine, outdo, best, outvie, overtop, outrival

Examples from the Web for transcend

Contemporary Examples of transcend

Republicans have a rare opportunity to implement policies that are truly compassionate and transcend toxic identity politics.
How a GOP Senate Can Help the Poor
Veronique de Rugy
November 23, 2014
So when they get the technique to transcend, this huge pressure gets released.
David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation, ‘Twin Peaks,’ and Collaborating With Kanye West
Marlow Stern
October 6, 2014
The work “symbolizes the human urge to transcend and progress.”
This Artist Reproduced van Gogh’s Ear…and It’s Alive!
Justin Jones
June 4, 2014
The creative solution is how we actually transform and transcend our limitations.
On Transhumanism and Why Technology Is Our Silicon Nervous System
Jason Silva
April 26, 2014
Rand Paul delivered a speech that may yet transcend party and generation.
Demographics Or Destiny in 2016
Lloyd Green
March 10, 2014

Historical Examples of transcend

Yet in no instance did he transcend the ordinary usages of Indian warfare.
King Philip
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
Had he come at last to transcend her idea with some even greater purpose?
The Coast of Chance
Esther Chamberlain
Some of these experiences, such as how to handle fire, transcend nourishment.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
The practice of signs entails the possibility to transcend the present.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
At first, then, a child can not transcend himself or his experiences.
Here and Now Story Book
Lucy Sprague Mitchell

British Dictionary definitions for transcend

transcend

verb

to go above or beyond (a limit, expectation, etc), as in degree or excellence
(tr) to be superior to
philosophy theol (esp of the Deity) to exist beyond (the material world)

Derived Formstranscendingly, adverb

Word Origin for transcend

C14: from Latin trānscendere to climb over, from trans- + scandere to climb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for transcend

mid-14c., from Latin transcendere "climb over or beyond, surmount," from trans- "beyond" (see trans-) + scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)). Related: Transcended; transcending.