transgression

transgressions

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."

Definitions of transgression
  1. noun
    the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    “the boy was punished for the transgressions of his father”
    synonyms: evildoing
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    types:
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    abomination
    an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence
    evil, immorality, iniquity, wickedness
    morally objectionable behavior
    villainy
    a criminal or vicious act
    depravity, turpitude
    a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
    vice
    a specific form of evildoing
    sin, sinning, trespass
    an act that is regarded by theologians as a transgression of God's will
    terrorisation, terrorization
    an act of terrorism
    crime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offence, offense
    (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
    crime
    an evil act not necessarily punishable by law
    inside job
    some transgression committed with the assistance of someone trusted by the victim
    gambling, gaming, play
    the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
    devilry, deviltry
    wicked and cruel behavior
    foul play
    unfair or dishonest behavior (especially involving violence)
    irreverence, violation
    a disrespectful act
    sexual immorality
    the evil ascribed to sexual acts that violate social conventions
    intemperance, intemperateness
    consumption of alcoholic drinks
    fall
    a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity
    actual sin
    a sin committed of your own free will (as contrasted with original sin)
    original sin
    a sin said to be inherited by all descendants of Adam
    deadly sin, mortal sin
    an unpardonable sin entailing a total loss of grace
    venial sin
    a pardonable sin regarded as entailing only a partial loss of grace
    barratry
    the offense of vexatiously persisting in inciting lawsuits and quarrels
    capital offense
    a crime so serious that capital punishment is considered appropriate
    cybercrime
    crime committed using a computer and the internet to steal a person's identity or sell contraband or stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs
    felony
    a serious crime (such as murder or arson)
    forgery
    criminal falsification by making or altering an instrument with intent to defraud
    fraud
    intentional deception resulting in injury to another person
    Had crime
    (Islam) serious crimes committed by Muslims and punishable by punishments established in the Koran
    highjack, hijack
    seizure of a vehicle in transit either to rob it or divert it to an alternate destination
    mayhem
    the willful and unlawful crippling or mutilation of another person
    infraction, infringement, misdemeanor, misdemeanour, violation
    a crime less serious than a felony
    commission, committal, perpetration
    the act of committing a crime
    attack, attempt
    the act of attacking
    Tazir crime
    (Islam) minor crimes committed by Muslims; crimes that are not mentioned in the Koran so judges are free to punish the offender in any appropriate way
    regulatory offence, regulatory offense, statutory offence, statutory offense
    crimes created by statutes and not by common law
    thuggery
    violent or brutal acts as of thugs
    high treason, lese majesty, treason
    a crime that undermines the offender's government
    vice crime
    a vice that is illegal
    victimless crime
    an act that is legally a crime but that seem to have no victims
    war crime
    a crime committed in wartime; violation of rules of war
    type of:
    actus reus, misconduct, wrongdoing, wrongful conduct
    activity that transgresses moral or civil law
  2. noun
    the action of going beyond or overstepping some boundary or limit
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    type of:
    action
    something done (usually as opposed to something said)
  3. noun
    the spreading of the sea over land as evidenced by the deposition of marine strata over terrestrial strata
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    type of:
    geological phenomenon
    a natural phenomenon involving the structure or composition of the earth
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘transgression'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing transgression

A Thousand Steps into Night
Traci Chee

After receiving a curse that causes her to slowly transform into a demon with a deadly touch, Miuko embarks on a quest to find a cure so that she can return to her normal life.

"Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall, Chapters 7–10

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–22

Fake ID
Lamar Giles

Because his family is in witness protection, fifteen-year-old Nick Pearson (not his real name) is supposed to remain low-key, but he has trouble doing that when another member of the Stepton High newspaper uncovers some secrets.

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