adj. 1
Synonym of transcendent (“surpassing usual limits; excelling; extraordinary”).
adj. 2
In the philosophy of Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.): synonym of transcendent (“transcending or extending beyond a single category”); also, synonym of metaphysical (“of or relating to the basic structure of reality”).
adj. 3
In the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) or similar philosophies: concerned with the a priori or intuitive basis of knowledge, independent of experience.
adj. 4
In the philosophy associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882): of or relating to transcendentalism (“a philosophy which stresses intuition and spirituality”).

Related words

Word family: transcendentality transcendentalness transcend transcendence transcendency transcendent
Phrases: transcendental ego
Is a kind of: irrational

Choose the right word

Transcendental or Intuitive?

All intuitive truths or beliefs are transcendental. But transcendental is a wider term than intuitive, including all within the limits of thought that is not derived from experience, as the ideas of space and time.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

supernatural Tom started to exhibit his supernatural abilities.
preternatural She has preternatural powers!
transcendent You believe that love is transcendent and eternal.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
transcendental		rising
supernatural		rising
preternatural		rising
nonnatural		rising
transcendent		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: fey¹
8 letters: heavenly³, ethereal⁴, abstruse²
9 letters: recondite³
10 letters: mysterious⁴, surpassing³, nonnatural
12 letters: supernatural⁵, metaphysical⁵, transcendent³
13 letters: preternatural, superrational

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (heavenly³ = 3 syllables).

In other languages

Français: transcendantal
Italiano: trascendentale
Español: trascendental