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transcendence

tran-SEN-dunss /trænˈsendəns/

nounC2GREGMAT

formalphilosophical

Existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level.

It refers to rising above the limitations of the material world or the ordinary self.

The story behind the word. The word literally means 'to climb across'. It suggests the image of climbing over a wall or a mountain to see what lies on the other side of our normal reality.

Word relationships

superiority: Superiority is being better than others; transcendence is being beyond the normal system entirely.
sublimity: Sublimity is greatness that inspires awe; transcendence is the state of being beyond physical limits.

immanence: Immanence is the idea that the divine is present in the material world, rather than beyond it.
mundanity: Mundanity is the quality of being ordinary and worldly.

Commonly confused with

transformation: Transformation is changing shape; transcendence is rising above the need for a shape.

Word family

transcend (verb): To be or go beyond the range or limits of something.
transcendent (adjective): Surpassing the ordinary; exceptional.

Collocations

spiritual transcendence
achieve transcendence
sense of transcendence

Example sentences

"The symphony provided a moment of pure transcendence, making the audience forget their daily worries." Describing the power of art.
"The mystic sought transcendence through deep meditation and isolation." Philosophical context.

Memory hook

To 'Transcend' is to 'Transit' to a 'Higher' 'End'. Rising above the ordinary.

When not to use

Don't use for simple improvement; it implies going beyond the 'boundaries' of what is usually possible.

Fun facts

Transcendentalism was a 19th-century American movement led by Ralph Waldo Emerson that emphasized the divinity of nature and the individual soul.