Transcendent
adjective
Beyond or above the normal or material world.
The reward for good deeds in this life is transcendental bliss in the afterlife.
Usage tips
Formal
Philosophical
adjective
Far better or greater than what is usual.
His creativity is almost transcendental, leaving the ordinary far behind.
Often appears as...
- transcendental beauty
- transcendental experience
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
adjective
Related to a spiritual realm or divine recognition.
The monks enter a state of transcendental meditation.
Often appears as...
- transcendental meditation
- transcendental wisdom
Usage tips
Formal, Approving
Religious
adjective
In philosophy, it refers to any system that analyzes phenomenology and consciousness, usually associated with Immanuel Kant's concepts.
Immanuel Kant proposed a transcendental idealism, stating that we perceive objects through our self-constructed categories of thoughts.
Often appears as...
- transcendental argument
- transcendental idealism
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
adjective
Beyond or above the normal or material world.
The reward for good deeds in this life is transcendental bliss in the afterlife.
Usage tips
Formal
Philosophical
adjective
Far better or greater than what is usual.
His creativity is almost transcendental, leaving the ordinary far behind.
Often appears as...
- transcendental beauty
- transcendental experience
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
adjective
Related to a spiritual realm or divine recognition.
The monks enter a state of transcendental meditation.
Often appears as...
- transcendental meditation
- transcendental wisdom
Usage tips
Formal, Approving
Religious
adjective
In philosophy, it refers to any system that analyzes phenomenology and consciousness, usually associated with Immanuel Kant's concepts.
Immanuel Kant proposed a transcendental idealism, stating that we perceive objects through our self-constructed categories of thoughts.
Often appears as...
- transcendental argument
- transcendental idealism
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
Definition 1 of 4
Pro Tip 1/2Abstract Notion
Think of 'transcendent' as describing something that's not physically present but exists in thought or spirit.
Her transcendent vision for humanity was inspiring.
Pro Tip 2/2Mystical Feeling
Use 'transcendent' when speaking about experiences that are hard to explain with reason or science.
He felt a transcendent connection with the cosmos.
Pro Tip 1/2Abstract Notion
Think of 'transcendent' as describing something that's not physically present but exists in thought or spirit.
Her transcendent vision for humanity was inspiring.
Pro Tip 2/2Mystical Feeling
Use 'transcendent' when speaking about experiences that are hard to explain with reason or science.
He felt a transcendent connection with the cosmos.
Pro Tip 1/2Abstract Notion
Think of 'transcendent' as describing something that's not physically present but exists in thought or spirit.
Her transcendent vision for humanity was inspiring.
Pro Tip 2/2Mystical Feeling
Use 'transcendent' when speaking about experiences that are hard to explain with reason or science.
He felt a transcendent connection with the cosmos.
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Video examples
Your elusive creative...
sacred dance and music that would go on for hours and hours until dawn and they were always magnificent because the dancers were professionals and they were terrific right but every once in a while very rarely something would happen and one of these performers would actually become transcendent and I know you know what I'm talking about because I know
Video examples
Philip Zimbardo: The...
There is two ways to be past-oriented, two ways to be future. You can focus on past-positive, or past-negative. You can be present-hedonistic, namely you focus on the joys of life, or present-fatalist -- it doesn't matter, your life is controlled. You can be future-oriented, setting goals. Or you can be transcendental
Video examples
Rufus Griscom and Alisa...
and you're also passionate about your relationship, this is the only way we know how to do it. And so the final question that we would ask can we collectively bend that happiness chart upwards? It's great that we have these transcendent moments of joy, but they're sometimes pretty quick.
Video examples
Jorge Ramos: Why...
I made the most difficult and most transcendental decision of my life. Not only did I resign from television, but I had also decided to leave my country. I sold my car, a beat-up little red Volkswagen, came up with some money and said goodbye to my family, to my friends, to my streets,
Video examples
Abraham Verghese: A...
We're losing a ritual. We're losing a ritual that I believe is transformative, transcendent, and is at the heart of the patient-physician relationship. This may actually be heresy to say this at TED, but I'd like to introduce you to the most important innovation, I think, in medicine
Video examples
Your elusive creative...
that would go on for hours and hours, until dawn. They were always magnificent, because the dancers were professionals and they were terrific, right? But every once in a while, very rarely, something would happen, and one of these performers would actually become transcendent.
Video examples
Virginia Postrel: The...
that only makes you beautiful. She is graceful, she is mysterious and she is transcendent, and those are the central qualities of glamour. You don't see her eyes; they're looking downward. She's not looking away from you exactly, but you have to mentally imagine her world.
Video examples
The politics of fiction...
Instead, I began to write about people other than me and things that never really happened. And thus began my life-long passion for writing fiction. So from the very beginning, fiction for me was less of an autobiographical manifestation than a transcendental journey
Video examples
Sky Caves of Nepal, Part...
of course looking into this incredible place and climbing into this landscape is a transcendent experience for me personally and certainly for dr. Alderfer and also for Corey as well this is a place where one sees the presence of humanity one sees the landscape
Video examples
There's more to life...
but a good life. Lying there facing death, he had a reason to love. His sense of belonging within his family, his purpose as a dad, his transcendent meditation, repeating our names -- these, he says, are the reasons why he survived.
Video examples
Your elusive creative...
sacred dance and music that would go on for hours and hours until dawn and they were always magnificent because the dancers were professionals and they were terrific right but every once in a while very rarely something would happen and one of these performers would actually become transcendent and I know you know what I'm talking about because I know
Video examples
Philip Zimbardo: The...
There is two ways to be past-oriented, two ways to be future. You can focus on past-positive, or past-negative. You can be present-hedonistic, namely you focus on the joys of life, or present-fatalist -- it doesn't matter, your life is controlled. You can be future-oriented, setting goals. Or you can be transcendental
Video examples
Rufus Griscom and Alisa...
and you're also passionate about your relationship, this is the only way we know how to do it. And so the final question that we would ask can we collectively bend that happiness chart upwards? It's great that we have these transcendent moments of joy, but they're sometimes pretty quick.
Video examples
Jorge Ramos: Why...
I made the most difficult and most transcendental decision of my life. Not only did I resign from television, but I had also decided to leave my country. I sold my car, a beat-up little red Volkswagen, came up with some money and said goodbye to my family, to my friends, to my streets,
Video examples
Abraham Verghese: A...
We're losing a ritual. We're losing a ritual that I believe is transformative, transcendent, and is at the heart of the patient-physician relationship. This may actually be heresy to say this at TED, but I'd like to introduce you to the most important innovation, I think, in medicine
Video examples
Your elusive creative...
that would go on for hours and hours, until dawn. They were always magnificent, because the dancers were professionals and they were terrific, right? But every once in a while, very rarely, something would happen, and one of these performers would actually become transcendent.
Video examples
Virginia Postrel: The...
that only makes you beautiful. She is graceful, she is mysterious and she is transcendent, and those are the central qualities of glamour. You don't see her eyes; they're looking downward. She's not looking away from you exactly, but you have to mentally imagine her world.
Video examples
The politics of fiction...
Instead, I began to write about people other than me and things that never really happened. And thus began my life-long passion for writing fiction. So from the very beginning, fiction for me was less of an autobiographical manifestation than a transcendental journey
Video examples
Sky Caves of Nepal, Part...
of course looking into this incredible place and climbing into this landscape is a transcendent experience for me personally and certainly for dr. Alderfer and also for Corey as well this is a place where one sees the presence of humanity one sees the landscape
Video examples
There's more to life...
but a good life. Lying there facing death, he had a reason to love. His sense of belonging within his family, his purpose as a dad, his transcendent meditation, repeating our names -- these, he says, are the reasons why he survived.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Frankie Boyle
Scottish Comedian
I've said jokes where I thought people might get up and hit me for this. A couple of people have thought about it. But they didn't. It gives you a lot of power, because if you're on shows where people are worried about getting sacked and you're not, then you're transcendent because you say what other people would like to say.
Quote examples
Jonathan Sacks
British Clergyman
We are biological creatures. We are born, we live, we die. There is no transcendent purpose to existence. At best we are creatures of reason, and by using reason we can cure ourselves of emotional excess. Purged of both hope and fear, we find courage in the face of helplessness, insignificance and uncertainty.
Quote examples
William H. Hunt
American Public Servant
When language was not transcendental enough to complete the meaning of a revelation, symbols were relied upon for heavenly teaching, and familiar images, chosen from the known, were made to mirror the unknown spiritual truth.
Quote examples
Gary Hamel
American Businessman
Remarkable contributions are typically spawned by a passionate commitment to transcendent values such as beauty, truth, wisdom, justice, charity, fidelity, joy, courage and honor.
Quote examples
John Milton
English Poet
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
Quote examples
Jon Hopkins
English Musician
Transcendental meditation in particular is very useful in terms of unlocking those deeper parts of the subconscious where ideas are floating.
Quote examples
Jessica St. Clair
American Actress
I make sure to meditate at least twice a day. I have migraines, and transcendental meditation is hugely helpful in combating them.
Quote examples
Richard Ashcroft
English Musician
Life is about unforgettable and transcendent moments, isn't it? The point of music is to get the moment.
Quote examples
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Austrian Philosopher
Logic is not a body of doctrine, but a mirror-image of the world. Logic is transcendental.
Quote examples
Laura Linney
American Actress
I've seen the greatest actors in the world, transcendent talents, who can't find a home.
Quote examples
Frankie Boyle
Scottish Comedian
I've said jokes where I thought people might get up and hit me for this. A couple of people have thought about it. But they didn't. It gives you a lot of power, because if you're on shows where people are worried about getting sacked and you're not, then you're transcendent because you say what other people would like to say.
Quote examples
Jonathan Sacks
British Clergyman
We are biological creatures. We are born, we live, we die. There is no transcendent purpose to existence. At best we are creatures of reason, and by using reason we can cure ourselves of emotional excess. Purged of both hope and fear, we find courage in the face of helplessness, insignificance and uncertainty.
Quote examples
William H. Hunt
American Public Servant
When language was not transcendental enough to complete the meaning of a revelation, symbols were relied upon for heavenly teaching, and familiar images, chosen from the known, were made to mirror the unknown spiritual truth.
Quote examples
Gary Hamel
American Businessman
Remarkable contributions are typically spawned by a passionate commitment to transcendent values such as beauty, truth, wisdom, justice, charity, fidelity, joy, courage and honor.
Quote examples
John Milton
English Poet
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
Quote examples
Jon Hopkins
English Musician
Transcendental meditation in particular is very useful in terms of unlocking those deeper parts of the subconscious where ideas are floating.
Quote examples
Jessica St. Clair
American Actress
I make sure to meditate at least twice a day. I have migraines, and transcendental meditation is hugely helpful in combating them.
Quote examples
Richard Ashcroft
English Musician
Life is about unforgettable and transcendent moments, isn't it? The point of music is to get the moment.
Quote examples
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Austrian Philosopher
Logic is not a body of doctrine, but a mirror-image of the world. Logic is transcendental.
Quote examples
Laura Linney
American Actress
I've seen the greatest actors in the world, transcendent talents, who can't find a home.
Example 1 of 10
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