Meanings
nountranscendentalism (countable and uncountable, plural transcendentalisms)
plural transcendentalisms
- countableuncountableThe transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge.
- countableuncountableAmbitious and imaginative vagueness in thought, imagery, or diction.
- countableuncountableA philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality (associated with Kant); philosophy which stresses intuition and spirituality (associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson); transcendental character or quality.
In this respect his hesitations are reminiscent of Brzozowski, except that Adler maintained his absolute transcendentalism to the end instead of trying to synthesize it with his Vernunftreligion and so repair the incoherence of his philosophy.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 284 - countableuncountableA movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century who were loosely bound together by adherence to an idealistic system of thought based on a belief in the essential supremacy of insight over logic and experience for the revelation of the deepest truths.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical and material
Similar
transcendental philosophy
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Catalan transcendentalisme, transcendentalisme
- transcendentalismethe transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
- transcendentalismeambitious and imaginative vagueness in thought, imagery, or diction
- transcendentalismea philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
Chinese Mandarin 超驗主義 /超验主义, 超越論 /超越论
- 超驗主義 /超验主义 (chāoyàn zhǔyì)a philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- 超越論 /超越论 (chāoyuèlùn)a philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- 超驗主義 /超验主义 (chāoyàn zhǔyì)a movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
- 超越主義 /超越主义 (chāoyuè zhǔyì)a movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
French transcendentalisme
- transcendentalismethe transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
German Transzendentalismus, Transzendentalismus
- Transzendentalismusa philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- Transzendentalismusa movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Greek υπερβατισμός
- υπερβατισμός (ypervatismós)the transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
Hindi अनुभवातीतवाद, अतींद्रियवाद
- अनुभवातीतवाद (anubhvātītvād)the transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
- अतींद्रियवाद (atīndriyvād)the transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
- इंद्रियातीतवाद (indriyātītvād)the transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
- प्रागनुभविकवाद (prāgnubhvikvād)the transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
- अलौकिकता (alaukiktā)the transcending, or going beyond, empiricism, and ascertaining a priori the fundamental principles of human knowledge
Japanese 超絶主義, 超越主義
- 超絶主義 (chōzetsushugi)a philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- 超越主義 (chōetsushugi)a philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- 超絶主義 (chōzetsushugi)a movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
- 超越主義 (chōetsushugi)a movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Korean 초월주의, 초월주의
- 초월주의 (chowoljuui)a philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- 초월주의 (chowoljuui)a movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Latin transcendentalismus, transcendentalismus
- transcendentalismusa philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- transcendentalismusa movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Polish transcendentalizm, transcendentalizm
- transcendentalizma philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- transcendentalizma movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Portuguese transcendentalismo, transcendentalismo
- transcendentalismoa philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- transcendentalismoa movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Swedish transcendentalism
- transcendentalisma movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Turkish transandantalizm, transandantalizm
- transandantalizma philosophy which holds that reasoning is key to understanding reality
- transandantalizma movement of writers and philosophers in New England in the 19th century
Cite this entry
APA
transcendentalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transcendentalism
MLA
“transcendentalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transcendentalism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “transcendentalism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transcendentalism.
Source: transcendentalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.