transgressive

American  

[trans-gres-iv, tranz-] / trænsˈgrɛs ɪv, trænz- /

adjective

1. violating or challenging socially accepted standards of behavior, belief, morality, or taste: Transgressive fiction focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free in unusual ways.

   We welcome those who are engaged in consensual, albeit transgressive sexualities.

   Transgressive fiction focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free in unusual ways.

2. violating a law, rule, command, or duty, or causing harm by doing so.

   We need to develop principled arguments that demonstrate the essentially transgressive nature of activities that damage the natural environment.

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transgressive British  

/ ˌtrænzˈɡrɛsɪv /

adjective

1. going beyond acceptable boundaries of taste, convention, or the law

   transgressive art

   transgressive pursuits

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Other Word Forms

• transgressively adverb

Etymology

Origin of transgressive

First recorded in 1640–50; transgress ( def. ) + -ive ( def. )

Explanation

Transgressive things go against the rules. Letting your dog romp around on the town tennis courts is transgressive, especially when the "No Dogs Allowed" sign is very obvious. Being transgressive means you're violating a rule, law, standard, or expectation. Sometimes transgressive behavior is dangerous, like a transgressive driver who likes to speed through school zones. But often it's just unexpected, disturbing, and maybe even offensive, like transgressive art that seeks to shock its viewers. Either way, it goes beyond the usual boundaries; the Latin root, transgredi, means "go beyond."

Example Sentences

A re-recorded Rock Lobster became a minor hit, followed by similarly danceable, subtly transgressive, B-movie party classics like Dance This Mess Around, Give Me Back My Man and Mesopotamia.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

“The memorialization takes away the kind of difficult questions of how this movement would deal with women who are taking on more transgressive gender roles. Once someone’s a hero, you can leave it at that.”

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2026

"It was a bold, transgressive method of storytelling, of a moment in time that was political, that was violent and that was impactful," Washington Post video game reporter Gene Park told NBC4.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

Jay Parini, in his review, observed that the author of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was the man who “embodied, or perhaps invented, the American voice, with its granular lyricism and rough-edged, transgressive humor.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Achillini’s brilliance and the transgressive character of his thought were summarized in a popular saying: ‘It is either the devil or Achillini.’

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton