compliant
Americanadjective
-
complying; obeying, obliging, or yielding, especially in a submissive way.
a man with a compliant nature.
-
manufactured or produced in accordance with a specified body of rules (usually used in combination).
Energy Star-compliant computers.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- compliantly adverb
- compliantness noun
- overcompliant adjective
- precompliant adjective
- quasi-compliant adjective
- quasi-compliantly adverb
- uncompliant adjective
- uncompliantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of compliant
Explanation
If you are willing to submit to someone's request, then you are compliant. Parents like it when their teenagers are compliant and follow the rules. Teenagers, on the other hand, are probably not as compliant as parents would like to think! The adjective compliant can also describe something that conforms or is agreeable. "The lawyers made sure that the man's will was fully compliant with state law, so that his children could not contest his desire to leave his entire estate to his dog, Fluffy." If you buy computer software that is not compliant with your operating system, it won't work properly.
Vocabulary lists containing compliant
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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The Poet X
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The Sun Is Also a Star
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leagues and teams are compliant, often in paid cahoots with secondary sellers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
“Courts and clients must be able to trust that the filings attorneys submit are accurate, supported, and compliant with professional standards,” he said in a statement Monday.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
He claimed the MTC bid was "not compliant" with rules, as it did not meet minimum staffing requirements.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
The segment was previously seen as a growth driver by offering a regulatory compliant channel for pharmaceutical companies to communicate and advertise to patients directly, diversifying away from the SaaS platform.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Still, to be too compliant may arouse suspicion as well.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
