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

Explanation

Transcendental describes anything that has to do with the spiritual, non-physical world. You could describe the time you spend in the woods hiking as a physical and a transcendental experience. When something is transcendental, it's beyond ordinary, everyday experience. It might be religious, spiritual, or otherworldly, but if it's transcendental, it transcends — or goes beyond — the regular physical realm. The adjective transcendental is used to describe a particular kind of meditation, a specific school of philosophy, and even a type of number in mathematics. Transcendental and transcend come from the Latin word transcendere, or climb over or beyond.

Example Sentences

In New Mexico, one of our nation’s poorest states, the Transcendental Painting Group was founded.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2023

Glen Mazzara, a TV writer and producer best known for his work on “The Shield” and “The Walking Dead,” has incorporated the game into his morning routine alongside journaling and Transcendental Meditation.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2022

Transcendental meditation and Lexapro help, he said, and this year, he found a kindred, anxious spirit in Jesse Eisenberg, who directed him in the upcoming dramedy “When You Finish Saving the World.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2021

The private college, established by the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1971, centers its educational program around the practice of Transcendental Meditation.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2021

The 1970s were the years of Nixon’s visit to China, the advent of Transcendental Meditation, cigarette advertising being banned from the airwaves, and fast-food chains multiplying.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady