Advertisement

Advertisement

transgressive

[ trans-gres-iv, tranz- ]

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.



transgressive

/ ˌtrænzˈɡrɛsɪv /

adjective

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

    transgressive art

    transgressive pursuits

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


Discover More

Derived Forms

  • transˈgressively, adverb
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of transgressive1

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

Example Sentences

After the drabness of the 1950s, her clothes were chic and slightly transgressive, but not haute couture.

What was once sexy and mildly transgressive—the perfect antidote to Twilight—devolved into a repetitive, unimaginative mess.

A genuinely transgressive art moment reeked of elementary school art project.

To that end, they partnered with oddity website Atlas Obscura over the summer to host “The School of Transgressive Placemaking.”

As a 22-year-old VJ for MTV, in the days when MTV still had VJs, Kennedy was at once transgressive and unpredictable.

It is obvious all through that transgressive growth is the starting-point in the formation of new individuals.

When this limit has been passed, the transgressive growth takes the form of reproduction.

If then selection does not bring about transgressive variation in a general population, how can selection produce anything new?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


transgressiontransgressor