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Compliance

kuhn-PLY-uhnss /kəmˈplaɪ.əns/

nounB2GRESATTOEFLIELTSGMAT

GeneralAcademicLegal

The action or fact of complying with a wish, command, or request; yielding to social influence.

Involves agreeing to an explicit request made by another person or entity, regardless of personal private opinion.

The story behind the word. Traced to Latin 'complere' (to fill up or complete). Through Italian and Spanish usage, it evolved from completing an obligation to fulfilling a request.

Word relationships

acquiescence: Acquiescence is passive agreement, whereas compliance can be active fulfillment of a request.

defiance: Defiance is open resistance or bold refusal to obey or comply.

Commonly confused with

Obedience: Compliance responds to a request from anyone, whereas obedience is carrying out a command from an authority figure.

Word family

comply (verb): To act in accordance with a wish, request, or rule.
compliant (adjective): Inclined to agree or yield to others.

Collocations

in compliance with
ensure compliance
regulatory compliance

Idioms & expressions

toe the line
play by the rules

Example sentences

"The company hired an ethics auditor to ensure strict compliance with federal environmental laws." Corporate Law
"Salespeople utilize the door-in-the-face technique to increase target compliance with their actual request." Persuasion Psychology

Memory hook

Compliance FILLS (plere) the requirements requested of you. Fulfilling the request.

When not to use

Do not confuse with genuine internal agreement or conviction; compliance is often purely external alignment.

Fun facts

In healthcare, 'patient compliance' refers to following treatment plans, though modern medicine increasingly prefers the term 'adherence'.