Next: Compromise Practice this wordAll C words

Compliant

Willing to comply with rules, requests, or authority; ready to yield to others' wishes and conform to standards.

adjective

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Imagine This

Imagine a student in a lab who follows every safety rule—puts on goggles, ties back hair, signs off on procedures, and answers questions exactly as instructed. The student does not resist; they are clearly compliant with the lab's rules.

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Sounds Like

KOM-PLY-uhnt (sounds similar to complaint)

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Looks Like

comply; compliance; complaint (visual similarity among related words)

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Remember This

Compliant is to compliance what comply is to yield. The word is closely tied to following rules or authority; its root ideas involve agreement and conformity.

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Other Forms

compliancenoun

compliantlyadverb

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Connect With

obedience, conformity, adherence, compliance, acquiescence

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Note

Use with 'compliant with' (e.g., 'compliant with safety standards'). Do not confuse with 'complaint,' which refers to a grievance or objection.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The device is compliant with current safety standards.
A compliant employee followed all procedures and reported any discrepancies.

Synonyms

obedientacquiescentamenableconformablepliant

Antonyms

defiantuncooperativenoncompliant

Etymology

From the verb comply, which comes from Old French compli- and Latin complēre 'to fill up, fulfill,' leading to the sense of obeying or conforming.

Mnemonic

COM-PLY-ANT: Remember that compliant means bending to others' will; think of pliant (flexible) and the idea of 'plying' someone with requests until you yield.

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Perspicacity

noun

The ability to notice and understand things quickly; keen mental perception.

Advocate

verb

To publicly support or defend a cause, policy, or proposal. As a noun, a person who publicly supports or defends a cause, or a lawyer.

Qualification

noun

A credential or accomplishment that makes someone eligible for a job or activity; it can also be a condition or limitation added to a statement or claim.