infringement
- 01 C1 Advanced
the act of breaking a law, a rule, or an official agreement.
a violation or breach of a law, regulation, or contractual agreement.
Simple“The company faced a large fine for its infringement of safety regulations.”
In context“The court ruled that the sudden change in policy constituted a clear infringement of the existing labour laws.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'of'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the act of limiting or taking away someone's rights, such as their privacy or their property.
an encroachment on a person's legal rights, territory, or property, particularly intellectual property.
Simple“Using that photo without permission is an infringement of the photographer's copyright.”
In context“The proposed surveillance measures were criticised by civil liberties groups as an unnecessary infringement on personal privacy.”
UsageCommonly used with 'on' or 'upon' when referring to rights or privacy.
SynonymsAntonyms
“Reports of misuse of Flock’s system as well as concerns over privacy infringement have dogged the company for years but have only recently had a significant impact on it.”
“A lawsuit brought forward by pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina also argued that Yabloko was guilty of copyright infringement.”
From infringe + -ment.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.