What does "immanent" mean?
Naturally part of something; existing throughout and within something; intrinsic.
Immanent
/ˈɪmənənt/ adj
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Naturally part of something; existing throughout and within something; intrinsic.
- Grammar: immanent is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: accessible, actual, as is, at hand.
- Useful contrasts: transient, external, externally.
- Usage evidence: Is god an immanent or a transcendent being?
How to use "immanent"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "immanent" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "immanent" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "immanent" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "immanent" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "immanent" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accessible" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "immanent", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Naturally part of something; existing throughout and within something; intrinsic.
"The theory of evolution, as thus set forth, the theory of the evolution of all from one self-existent immanent principle, is nowadays considered not only as the fullest explanation ever given of the unity and order of the universe, being a system of perfect monism, plainly reasoned out in all its details, but also the only one which, as overcoming any kind of dualism, gives satisfaction to the human mind. For, if one and the self-same principle is not the source of all, existing unity cannot prevail throughout creation. If this one principle is not supposed to be immanent in the world, nature is not explained from itself, but rather is rendered unintelligible; that which is plain and visible in it being accounted for by something unseen and unknown. And, if this one immanent principle is not regarded as absolutely independent and self-existent, it becomes necessary to conceive of the universe as conditioned without perceiving any cause or condition on which it is dependent, and to ascribe the orderly and constant succession of phenomena, not to an agent working according to law, but to arbitrary creative will."
- 2 Of something which has always already been.
- 3 Restricted entirely to the mind or a given domain; internal; subjective.
"We are born, as the Apostle says, the children of wrath. It is not an impersonal nature which is guilty, for this would be a contradiction, but persons whose immanent, subjective state is opposed to the character and law of God."
- 4 Existing within and throughout the mind and the world; dwelling within and throughout all things, all time, etc. Compare transcendent.
- 5 Taking place entirely within the mind of the subject and having no effect outside of it. Compare emanant, transeunt.
"At the same time it has been common, and we intend to show that it is important, to distinguish one class of volitions from another. Those which terminate on some action of our own, have been called deliberate acts — and imperate acts of the will, and not unfrequently determinate acts — because they are more the result of deliberation, and determine and govern the action on which they fix; while those which contemplate no action as their immediate result, are called immanent acts of the will. They remain in the mind, and do not flow out into action."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Within the limits of experience or knowledge.
Adjective
- 1 of qualities that are spread throughout something wordnet
- 2 of a mental act performed entirely within the mind wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Is god an immanent or a transcendent being?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "immanent"?
Common synonyms include: accessible, actual, as is, at hand, attendant, available.
How do you use "immanent" in a sentence?
Is god an immanent or a transcendent being?
How do you pronounce "immanent"?
Pronounced /ˈɪmənənt/.
Etymology
Entered English around 1530, via French, from Late Latin immanēns, present participle of Latin immanēre, from im- (“in”) + manēre (“to dwell, remain, stay”). Cognate with remain and manor.