Word
compliance
Meanings
the act of following rules, laws, standards, or official requirements
the act of doing what someone asks or accepts, often without resistance
Definition
Compliance is the act of following rules, standards, or requests.
Compliance means obeying or meeting required rules, laws, policies, or instructions. It is often used in workplaces to describe following regulations and internal procedures. It can also refer to a person's willingness to do what is asked of them. In many contexts, it focuses on proving that requirements have been met.
Examples
- The auditor praised the company’s compliance with the updated safety standards.
- I double-checked our compliance before submitting the final report to the regulator.
- Her compliance with the team’s new workflow made the handover far smoother than expected.
- They treated compliance as a shared responsibility, not a box-ticking exercise.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse compliance (following rules) with complacency (self-satisfaction and lack of concern).
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More nouns
- fascism Fascism is an extreme right-wing political system with a powerful dictator, strong nationalism, and…
- gaslighting Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that makes someone doubt their own memory, judg…
- narcissist A narcissist is someone who is excessively self-centered and craves admiration while showing little…
- empathy Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.
- metaphor A metaphor is a way of describing something by saying it is something else to create a clear image …