transcendentalist
|trans-cen-den-tal-ist|
🇺🇸
/ˌtræn.sənˈdɛn.təl.ɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˌtræn.sənˈdɛn.t(ə)l.ɪst/
beyond ordinary limits (spiritual/ideal)
Etymology
'transcendentalist' originates from English, specifically from the word 'transcendental' plus the agent suffix '-ist'; 'transcendental' itself ultimately comes from Latin 'transcendere' (from 'trans-' meaning 'across' + 'scandere' meaning 'to climb').
'transcendentalist' developed in English in the 19th century to name adherents of the Transcendentalism movement; the element 'transcendental' came into English via Late Latin/Medieval Latin 'transcendentalis' from Latin 'transcendere'.
Initially related to the idea of 'transcending' or 'going beyond' (literal/abstract sense), it came to designate followers of the specific philosophical/literary movement 'Transcendentalism' and, more broadly, describe ideas emphasizing intuition and spirituality over materialism.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who follows or advocates Transcendentalism (a 19th-century philosophical and literary movement emphasizing intuition, individual conscience, and the spiritual over the material), or more generally someone who values intuition and spiritual insight above empirical or material concerns.
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller were leading transcendentalists of their time.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of Transcendentalism, or describing something that emphasizes transcending ordinary experience or material concerns.
Transcendentalist ideas influenced much 19th-century American literature and reform movements.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/13 18:54