transcendent

[ tran-sen-duh nt ]

/ trænˈsɛn dənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR transcendent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding.

superior or supreme.

Theology. (of the Deity) transcending the universe, time, etc.Compare immanent(def 3).

Philosophy.

Scholasticism. above all possible modes of the infinite.
Kantianism. transcending experience; not realizable in human experience.Compare transcendental(defs 5a, c).
(in modern realism) referred to, but beyond, direct apprehension; outside consciousness.

noun Mathematics.

a transcendental function.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

transcaucasian, transceiver, transcellular fluid, transcend, transcendence, transcendent, transcendental, transcendental aesthetic, transcendental analytic, transcendental argument, transcendental dialectic

Origin of transcendent

1575–85; < Latin trānscendent- (stem of trānscendēns), present participle of trānscendere. See transcend, -ent

Related forms

tran·scend·ent·ly, adverbtran·scend·ent·ness, nounsu·per·tran·scend·ent, adjectivesu·per·tran·scend·ent·ly, adverb

su·per·tran·scend·ent·ness, nounun·tran·scend·ent, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for transcendent

A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul.
Pope’s Blistering Attack on ‘Haggard’ Europe|Nico Hines|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We should play the role and realize that we are transcendent of it, and playing into it.
Joseph Campbell on the Roots of Halloween|Joseph Campbell|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While he was in a coma for seven days, his consciousness entered a series of transcendent realms.
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven|Patricia Pearson|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scientists believe this is the basis of transcendent states of consciousness.
Drums Aren’t Just for Music: They’re Therapy, Too|Dale Eisinger|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Chi, like Samantha (Scarlett Johannson), ends up becoming a transcendent being that threatens her relationship with a human.
Hollywood Sci-Fi Films Are Ripping Off Anime|David Levesley|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What, then, did that book mean when it spoke of transcendent loves which illumine one's existence?
A Love Episode|Emile Zola
What needed all this, if this had been a transcendent, extraordinary, and not an ordinary synod?
The Divine Right of Church Government|Sundry Ministers Of Christ Within The City Of London
As the glory of this place is transcendent beyond imagination, so probably is the extent of it.
The Young Gentleman and Lady's Monitor, and English Teacher's Assistant|John Hamilton Moore
As a feminine substantive it means a transcendent virtue or perfection.
Hinduism And Buddhism, Volume II. (of 3)|Charles Eliot
Well, beauty is a wonderful gift; that is, the transcendent beauty that every one acknowledges.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 15, No. 89, May, 1875|Various

British Dictionary definitions for transcendent

transcendent

/ (trænˈsɛndənt) /

adjective

exceeding or surpassing in degree or excellence

(in the philosophy of Kant) beyond or before experience; a priori
(of a concept) falling outside a given set of categories
beyond consciousness or direct apprehension

theol (of God) having continuous existence outside the created world

free from the limitations inherent in matter

noun

philosophy a transcendent thing

Derived Forms

transcendence or transcendency, nountranscendently, adverbtranscendentness, noun

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