Synonyms of transgression

transgression

noun

tran(t)s-ˈgre-shən 

1

as in violation

a breaking of a moral or legal code

acts that are transgressions against the laws of civilized societies everywhere

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violation
• crime
• sin
• felony
• trespass
• wrongdoing
• misdeed
• sinfulness
• error
• breach
• debt
• offense
• lawbreaking
• malefaction
• misdoing
• misconduct
• infringement
• misdemeanor
• misfeasance
• hate crime
• wickedness
• abuse
• corruption
• immorality
• fault
• iniquity
• criminality
• bias crime
• illegality
• peccadillo
• licentiousness
• unlawfulness
• foible
• depravity
• vice
• debauchery
• lawlessness
• break
• downfall
• iniquitousness
• fall
• descent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• innocence
• blamelessness
• righteousness
• virtue
• morality
• impeccability
• goodness
• noncrime
• guiltlessness
• faultlessness
• virtuousness
• irreproachability

2

as in infringement

a failure to uphold the requirements of law, duty, or obligation

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violation
• infringement
• breach
• infraction
• trespass
• contravention
• sin
• offense
• misconduct
• misdemeanor
• disregard
• ignoring
• forgetting
• neglect
• misfeasance
• intrusion
• wrong
• invasion
• delinquency
• encroachment
• misprision
• nonobservance
• overlooking
• dereliction

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• observance
• respecting
• noninfringement
• upholding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of transgression

Establishment Democrats, too, are taking a victory lap, marrying Platner’s anti-establishment ethos with his personal transgressions. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

Just as bright, witty, and debauched as their namesake, this unique protagonist is on a path of self-discovery, gaining insight into not just their gender identity, but also their preternatural attraction to transgression and risk. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026

Many of Paraguay’s transgressions could have ended in yellow cards, but did not and towards the end, France brought their own feistiness to the fore. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Piercing the sterility of contemporary life with the disruptive transgression of eroticism, Silver’s film features dreamy fantasy sequences that interrupt and disrupt, drawing us expertly into its characters’ sensual and unusual interiority. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026