transcendental
transcendental Lexical Profile
transcendental Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to a spiritual, non-physical, or mystical realm that surpasses ordinary human experience.
"The composer sought to evoke a transcendental sense of peace through the slow, meditative strings."
In Kantian philosophy, presupposed in and necessary to experience, or concerned with the a priori conditions that make human knowledge possible.
"Kant's critique examines the transcendental structures of the mind that shape how we perceive space and time."
In mathematics, designating a real or complex number, function, or quantity that is not algebraic and cannot be expressed as the root of a polynomial equation with rational coefficients.
"Both pi and Euler's number are famous examples of transcendental numbers."
• noun
In scholastic and metaphysical philosophy, a universal property of being (such as unity, truth, or goodness) that transcends the Aristotelian categories and applies to all existing things.
"Medieval theologians wrote extensively on the relationship between beauty and the classic transcendentals of truth and goodness."
A transcendental number, concept, or principle.
"In number theory, proving that a given constant is a transcendental is often far more difficult than proving it is irrational."
Word Nuance & Usage
In philosophy and general usage, 'transcendental' is often distinguished from 'transcendent': while 'transcendent' means surpassing ordinary limits or existing wholly beyond the material universe, 'transcendental' specifically refers to the a priori conditions of human knowledge (in Kantian philosophy) or to spiritual, non-empirical intuition.
• Rhymes for transcendental
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin 'transcendentalis', derived from Latin 'transcendentem', the present participle of 'transcendere' ('to climb over or surpass'), formed from 'trans-' ('across, beyond') and 'scandere' ('to climb').