Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

transcendent

American  
[tran-sen-duhnt] / trænˈsɛn dənt /

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 British  
/ trænˈsɛndənt /

adjective

  1. exceeding or surpassing in degree or excellence

    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

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

  3. free from the limitations inherent in matter

"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

noun

  1. philosophy a transcendent thing

"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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of transcendent

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

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.

By contrast, Bienvenu conceived of Arco’s elevated platform world as a transcendent Eden.

From Los Angeles Times

By the end of the play, the tumultuous human drama behind creative brilliance emerges in poignant, transcendent glory.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet from that divided debut emerged one transcendent constant: a lullaby called “Summertime.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“They create a record of musicking at its most routine and ordinary and at its most poignant, beautiful, and transcendent.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The splintered nature of men's professional golf cannot continue, even when someone as transcendently charismatic as McIlroy is reigning supreme.

From BBC