transcendent
Americanadjective
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going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding.
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superior or supreme.
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Theology. (of the Deity) transcending the universe, time, etc.
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Philosophy.
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Scholasticism. above all possible modes of the infinite.
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Kantianism. transcending experience; not realizable in human experience.
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(in modern realism) referred to, but beyond, direct apprehension; outside consciousness.
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noun
adjective
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exceeding or surpassing in degree or excellence
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(in the philosophy of Kant) beyond or before experience; a priori
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(of a concept) falling outside a given set of categories
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beyond consciousness or direct apprehension
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theol (of God) having continuous existence outside the created world
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free from the limitations inherent in matter
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of transcendent
1575–85; < Latin trānscendent- (stem of trānscendēns ), present participle of trānscendere. See transcend, -ent
Explanation
Transcendent describes something so excellent that it's beyond the range of human understanding. Transcendent shares the prefix trans, meaning "across," with many familiar words such as transport ("carry across"), transcontinental ( across a continent"), and transparent ("allowing light to shine across"). Transcendental meditation carries people across to a higher consciousness. So something transcendent goes across boring reality into super awesomeness in a world all its own. It moves you. Angels are transcendent, and even your favorite novel can be transcendent.
Vocabulary lists containing transcendent
World Religions
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"My Wonder Horse," Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain
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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.
The portrayal of that grief is where Mr. Armitage’s translation achieves its most transcendent power.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Which is to say: it was never going to taste as transcendent as it does in memory.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
“She would litigate those moments until they felt true to her, and then they were so transcendent when she did them,” Foley says.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026
Shea Serrano’s catalogue of basketball greatness looks past stats and scores to privilege transcendent moments on the court.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Architecture becomes memorable only when it expresses a transcendent vision, whether personal, social, or spiritual.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
