transgression

noun

trans·​gres·​sion tran(t)s-ˈgre-shən 

tranz-

: an act, process, or instance of transgressing: such as

a

: infringement or violation of a law, command, or duty

b

: the spread of the sea over land areas and the consequent unconformable deposit of sediments on older rocks

Synonyms of transgression

• violation
• crime
• sin

Examples of transgression in a Sentence

acts that are transgressions against the laws of civilized societies everywhere

a dying woman asking for divine forgiveness for a lifetime of transgressions

Recent Examples on the Web

The most bitter setback came when the state largely just stood down, in 2020 and since, after the Madigan transgressions created a mandate for transformative change. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Many others in the moment hoped that Nixon’s transgressions would spark something of a democratic revival to check the dangerous tendencies that had made Watergate possible. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

For me, the larger question is not whether artistic behavior excuses transgression, but how to hold artistic achievement and ethical accountability together without allowing one to erase the other. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Jantar Mantar, the protest site in Delhi, embodied an aesthetic of collective transgression. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for transgression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression

Kids Definition

transgression

noun

trans·​gres·​sion tran(t)s-ˈgresh-ən 

tranz-

: an act, process, or example of transgressing