transcendental
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Concerned with the a priori or intuitive basis of knowledge, independent of experience.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
transuhndehntuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
tɹænsənˈdɛntəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Superior; surpassing all others; extraordinary; transcendent.
philosophy
Concerned with the a priori or intuitive basis of knowledge, independent of experience.
Mystical or supernatural.
noun
(philosophy, metaphysics, Platonism, Christian theology, usually in the plural) Any one of the three transcendental properties of being: truth, beauty or goodness, which respectively are the ideals of science, art and religion and the principal subjects of the study of logic, aesthetics and ethics.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
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Compound terms
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An irrational number that is not algebraic.
Any system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical and material.
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