transfinite

American

[trans-fahy-nahyt] / trænsˈfaɪ naɪt /

adjective

going beyond or surpassing the finite.

noun

transfinite number.

transfinite British

/ trænsˈfaɪnaɪt /

adjective

extending beyond the finite

"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

Etymology

Origin of transfinite

First recorded in 1900–05; trans- + finite

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.

I went deep into mathematical theory studying transfinite numbers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

This class comprises integers, real numbers, transfinite numbers and infinitesimals—a structure that no one previously imagined was possible in which everything can be added, multiplied, and so on.

From Scientific American • Apr. 28, 2021

The perfection of a truly transcendent or transfinite performance, the scene illustrates, involves no luck or accident.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2017

Barr McCutcheon teaches algebra to fifth-graders and transfinite arithmetic to seniors, for example, and McCutcheon need not bother with standard math texts�"a bore."

From Time Magazine Archive

Cantor’s transfinite numbers were the worst of the lot.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023