to transcend
- verb
- /trænˈsɛnd/
- Formal
- His performance in the competition transcended all expectations, earning him first place.
- transcend boundaries
- transcend limits
- transcend borders
What disease could we not transcend? What war could we not heal
- What disease could we not transcend? What war could we not heal
- Well, he tells us that it transcends a certain dualism.
- And, you know, it transcends the experiential realm.
- So when we are able to transcend the judgement, the suffering ends.
- I feel like good taste transcends, you know, everything.
- But how are you able to transcend that perception?
- And you cannot transcend by talking about it.
- They live in the realm of how do you transcend the limits?
- What is it that enables you to transcend that system?
- And there are certain things that are so essential they must transcend politics.
- That song like has like transcended time culture.
Examples
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Using environmental print this way will enable the educator to transcend traditional curriculum boundaries.
Academic text (1999) -
What had happened between Vyvyan and I transcended language.
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And you cannot transcend by talking about it.
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It's a beautiful opportunity to help someone that we know can transcend our sport.
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But how are you able to transcend that perception?
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How should we deal with problems that transcend national boundaries, such as global environmental decay?
Academic text (1990) -
We became friends in a sense that transcends the relationship of parent and child.
Fiction book (1998) -
All of quantum physics transcends our personal life experience.
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I mean an album like Play transcends the music industry because it became a mainstream phenomenon.
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Thanks to the MPFC, we can mentally transcend our own perspective and see things from another person's perspective.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
To be greater than a set amount or beyond what people expect
To exceed a limit or what people expect
To be better than others in a contest or ranking
To be better than a set standard
To be better than another person or thing
To try new ideas that go beyond accepted limits
To do more than is required to help others or complete a task
To become faster, better, or larger than another
Be better than a limit or what people expected
To reach the top of a hill or mountain after climbing it
To move past another person or thing and go ahead of them
To go past a limit or cross a border
To do better than someone or something
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
transcend = ascend (semi-transparent) = trans + scend
The prefix 'trans-' conveys 'across/beyond', but the root 'scend' is not a standalone English word; learners who recognize it in 'ascend'/'descend' can partially infer the meaning.
Etymology
Transcend comes from trans- meaning 'across' and the same root as ascend, which means 'to climb'. So to transcend is like 'climbing across' a border or limit, meaning to go beyond or be above a rule, standard, or expectation.