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.
Appeared in the December 6, 2025, print edition as 'A Young Mother’s Transcendent Lullaby'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Transcendent 23-year-old centerfielder Julio Rodriguez is signed through 2029, and figures to be the long-term face of Seattle sports.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2024
In his new book, “The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science,” Alan Lightman describes watching the lives of a family of ospreys one summer near his house on a small island in Maine.
From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023
Bahni Turpin reads mainly books by Black female authors and/or stories that require African-inspired accents, such as the "Children of Blood and Bone" series and "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2020
Transcendent glory would not only crown but protect you.
From The Life of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald, G.C.B., Admiral of the Red, Rear-Admiral of the Fleet, Etc., Etc. Vol. I by Bourne, H. R. Fox (Henry Richard Fox)
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.
