transgression
Americannoun
-
transgressions
plural
noun
-
a breach of a law, etc; sin or crime
-
the act or an instance of transgressing
Synonym Usage
See breach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of transgression
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin trānsgressiōn-, stem of trānsgressiō “passage across, transition, violation”; equivalent to transgress + -ion
Explanation
A transgression is something that is against a command or law. Whether you are cheating on a test, or cheating on a spouse, you are committing transgressions that are not easily forgiven. A transgression can be a failure to do your duty. A sin is a transgression against God. The noun transgression is from Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin "act of crossing, passing over," from transgredi "to step or pass over."
Vocabulary lists containing transgression
The Giver
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List 1
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Power Prefix: trans-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When it comes to prisons, there is very serious harm done by our unquestioned acceptance of carcerality and punishment as the main way of dealing with social transgression.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
"These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression," the UAE's foreign ministry said, adding that the country reserves the "right to respond".
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
It offers the thrill of transgression without the burden of intellectual rigor.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2026
The result is a devastating work of scholarship that commits the ultimate transgression of failing to include the trigger warnings so cherished by the targets of the author’s indictment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
Running away was a transgression so large that the punishment enveloped every generous soul on her brief tour of freedom.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Platner’s transgressions were part of his transgressive appeal.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
The potentially reimbursed penalties are for transgressions including failure to file penalties, failure to pay penalties and failure to make estimated tax payments, she wrote.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
On AMC’s “Mad Men” we watched her, as Sally Draper, turn from an adorable little girl to an angsty youth, well aware of her father’s transgressions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
The forest becomes a Garden of Eden, marred by human transgressions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
Before the terrible price was exacted for their transgressions.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
