Transcendent, a.
Etymology: [L. transcendens, -entis, p. pr. of transcendere to transcend: cf. F. transcendant, G. transcendent.]
1. Very excellent; superior or supreme in excellence; surpassing others; as, transcendent worth; transcendent valor. Clothed with transcendent brightness. Milton.
2. (Kantian Philos.)
Transcending, or reaching beyond, the limits of human knowledge; -- applied to affirmations and speculations concerning what lies beyond the reach of the human intellect.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Transcendent, n.
That which surpasses or is supereminent; that which is very excellent.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for transcendent; he lists it under transcendental.
Where he writes about it:
"Transcendent he [Kant] employed to denote what is wholly beyond experience, being neither given as an a posteriori nor a priori element of cognition--what therefore transcends every category of thought." K.-F. — from transcendental
Antonyms
none given