transcendental

American  

[tran-sen-den-tl, -suhn-] / ˌtræn sɛnˈdɛn tl, -sən- /

adjective

1. transcendent, surpassing, or superior.

2. being beyond ordinary or common experience, thought, or belief; supernatural.

3. abstract or metaphysical.

4. idealistic, lofty, or extravagant.

5. Philosophy.

   1. beyond the contingent and accidental in human experience, but not beyond all human knowledge.

   2. pertaining to certain theories, etc., explaining what is objective as the contribution of the mind.

   3. Kantianism. of, pertaining to, based upon, or concerned with a priori elements in experience, which condition human knowledge.

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noun

1. Mathematics. transcendental number.

2. Scholasticism. transcendentals, categories that have universal application, as being, one, true, good.

transcendental British  

/ ˌtrænsɛnˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. transcendent, superior, or surpassing

2. 1. (of a judgment or logical deduction) being both synthetic and a priori

   2. of or relating to knowledge of the presuppositions of thought

3. philosophy beyond our experience of phenomena, although not beyond potential knowledge

4. theol surpassing the natural plane of reality or knowledge; supernatural or mystical

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Other Word Forms

• transcendentality noun
• transcendentally adverb
• untranscendental adjective
• untranscendentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of transcendental

From the Medieval Latin word trānscendentālis, dating back to 1615–25. See transcendent, -al ¹

Example Sentences

The book therefore leaves us with a question: Are transcendental experiences fated to remain locked within our heads, as Lightman’s thesis suggests, or can they perhaps act as signposts pointing to that cosmic mind?

From Washington Post

In order to transform a mythological nymph into a tree, Richard Strauss ended his opera “Daphne” with a transcendental musical photosynthesis that mimics the mystical sensation of standing under a redwood.

From Los Angeles Times

At the time, the outlet reported she was sugar-free for five years, did yoga three times a week, and took on 20 minutes of transcendental meditation daily.

From Fox News

Take your transcendental pick, the program seemed to say: Pärt’s purity or Eastman’s animistic urges.

From Los Angeles Times

The moody, organic, transcendental look of this hip, sommelier-founded line fits the taste-profile of the hazy, sensual and complex wines within.

From Salon