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. Compare immanent ( def 3 ).
4. Philosophy.
   1. Scholasticism. above all possible modes of the infinite.
   2. Kantianism. transcending experience; not realizable in human experience. Compare transcendental ( defs 5a, 5c ).
   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

Derived Forms

• tranˈscendentness, noun
• tranˈscendently, adverb
• tranˈscendence, noun

Other Words From

• tran·scendent·ly adverb
• tran·scendent·ness noun
• super·tran·scendent adjective
• super·tran·scendent·ly adverb
• super·tran·scendent·ness noun
• untran·scendent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of transcendent¹

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

Example Sentences

In L.A., lines wield a transcendent power to reveal who we are, our desire to be seen and what we’re willing to do for them.

From Los Angeles Times

Viewers may never know whether Tom Brady is a transcendent football analyst or an unlistenable bore because he’s chosen to handcuff himself by becoming a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

From Los Angeles Times

Without historian C. Vann Woodward’s transcendent 1938 biography, Watson would have surely disappeared even from academic study, like most politicians of his era.

From Slate

“It was during the pandemic and people were clamoring for safe and outdoorsy activities. I decided to go outside of my own comfort level and pack and lace up for a weekend in the woods. Tattered map in tow and sense of adventure in abundance, I was the only entity out there all weekend. With the exception of the wildlife that came sniffing around my tent around midnight. It was adrenaline-inducing and transcendent as I’d never felt that close to nature before. I could smell her coyote-breath.”

From Los Angeles Times

"For those who have been patient enough to wait, the reward is transcendent."

From BBC

Related Words

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