transcendental thought definition
Full Definition of TRANSCENDENTALISM. 1. : a philosophy that emphasizes the a priori conditions of knowledge and experience or the unknowable character of ultimate reality or that emphasizes the transcendent as the fundamental reality.2.: a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and empirical. 3.: the quality or state of being transcendental; especially: visionary idealism. â tranÂ·scenÂ·denÂ·talÂ·ist \-tÉ-list\ adjective or noun. See transcendentalism defined for English-language learners.. : a philosophy that emphasizes the a priori conditions of knowledge and experience or the unknowable character of ultimate reality or that emphasizes the transcendent as the fundamental reality. 2. : a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and empirical.