transcendent

[tran-sen-duhnt]

adjective

1. going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding.

2. superior or supreme.

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

4. Philosophy.

   1. Scholasticism.,  above all possible modes of the infinite.

   2. Kantianism.,  transcending experience; not realizable in human experience.

   3. (in modern realism) referred to, but beyond, direct apprehension; outside consciousness.

noun

Mathematics.

1. a transcendental function.

transcendent

/ trænˈsɛndənt /

adjective

1. exceeding or surpassing in degree or excellence

2. 1. (in the philosophy of Kant) beyond or before experience; a priori

   2. (of a concept) falling outside a given set of categories

   3. beyond consciousness or direct apprehension

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

4. free from the limitations inherent in matter

noun

1. philosophy a transcendent thing

Other Word Forms

• transcendentness noun
• transcendently adverb
• transcendence noun
• supertranscendent adjective
• supertranscendently adverb
• supertranscendentness noun
• untranscendent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of transcendent¹

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

Example Sentences

Carlson is regarded, seemingly in all corners of the pageant universe, as a transcendent figure.

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Judge was transcendent over the past 10 days, finally putting together a postseason befitting of his stature.

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Far from avoiding transcendent artistic experiences, the left can lay claim to most of them.

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And, like “Anora,” this movie ends on a perfect, transcendent note.

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Sheen describes this in transcendent terms until the moment he realized he was endangering the lives of hundreds of people, at which point he returned to his seat, “owning this experience.”

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Related Words

• abstract 
• fantastic 
• otherworldly 
• sublime 
• supernatural 
• ultimate