Home › Leadership › Ethical Governance › compliance

compliance

kuhm-PLY-uhns /kəmˈplaɪ.əns/

nounB2TOEFLIELTSGMAT

professionalbusinesslegal

The act of conforming to, obeying, or agreeing with a wish, command, rule, or law.

In corporate and legal environments, compliance refers to the formal department or process of ensuring that a company adheres to external laws, regulations, and internal policies. It is often about avoiding legal penalties.

The story behind the word. Compliance comes from the Latin 'complere', meaning to fill up or complete. It entered English through the Italian 'compiere', which meant to fulfill a promise or duty. Thus, to be in compliance is to 'fill up' or fully satisfy all the requirements of a law or regulation.

Word relationships

conformity: Conformity is a broader term meaning to behave in accordance with socially accepted standards, while compliance is specifically about obeying formal rules or laws.
obedience: Obedience is a personal act of carrying out orders from an authority figure, whereas compliance is more systemic and structural.

noncompliance: Noncompliance is the failure or refusal to conform to a rule or regulation.
defiance: Defiance is open resistance or bold disobedience, which is a more active rejection than simple noncompliance.

Commonly confused with

complacency: Complacency is a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself, while compliance is the act of obeying rules.

Word family

comply (verb): To act in accordance with a wish or command.
compliant (adjective): Obeying or conforming to rules or demands.

Collocations

regulatory compliance
ensure compliance
in compliance with
compliance officer

Example sentences

"The company established a new compliance department to ensure all financial transactions met federal anti-money laundering standards." A corporate regulatory announcement.
"Public compliance with the water restriction guidelines was essential to preventing a severe shortage during the drought." A public health directive.

Memory hook

Think of 'completing' a checklist. When you check off every single box on a regulatory list, you have 'completed' the requirements and are in 'compliance'. Completing the checklist of rules.

When not to use

Do not use compliance when you mean genuine ethical agreement; compliance can sometimes imply doing something merely because it is required, rather than because you believe it is right.

Fun facts

In medicine, 'patient compliance' refers to whether a patient takes their prescribed medication correctly and follows their doctor's medical advice.