# compliant

/kəmˈpɫaɪənt/ (US) · /kəmplˈaɪənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/compliant
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. following rules or laws

adjective · CEFR B2

following a set of rules, laws, or technical standards.

For teachers: meeting or adhering to specific requirements, regulations, or standards. Often used in legal, corporate, or technical contexts.

- The new factory must be fully compliant with all safety regulations.
- The audit revealed that the software was not compliant with the latest data protection laws, necessitating an immediate system overhaul.

### 2. obedient or submissive

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

willing to do what other people want you to do without arguing.

For teachers: disposed to agree with others or obey rules, sometimes to an excessive or submissive degree.

- The government preferred a compliant press that did not ask difficult questions.
- The negotiator found the opposing party surprisingly compliant, which made him suspicious of their long-term intentions.

### 3. flexible or yielding

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

able to bend or change shape easily under pressure.

For teachers: yielding to physical pressure; having the property of compliance in a mechanical sense.

- The robot has compliant joints that allow it to move more like a human.
- Engineers selected a more compliant material for the seal to ensure it would deform sufficiently under high pressure.

## Examples

- The company is compliant with safety laws.
- The new software update ensures the system is compliant with international data protection standards.
- Despite the complex regulatory landscape, the firm remained fully compliant, avoiding fines through meticulous record-keeping and proactive audits.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.