violation
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
an action that breaks a law, rule, or formal agreement.
the act of breaking or failing to comply with a law, rule, or formal agreement.
Simple“Parking your car in front of the fire hydrant is a violation of city law.”
In context“The company faced heavy fines after the audit revealed a clear violation of international safety standards regarding chemical storage.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'of' followed by the rule being broken.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
an act that treats someone's private life or space without respect.
an infringement or disturbance of a person's right to privacy, peace, or personal boundaries.
Simple“Reading someone's private diary is a serious violation of their trust.”
In context“The celebrity argued that the drone footage was a gross violation of her privacy and sought a court injunction against the agency.”
Antonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
a very serious and violent attack on a person's body.
a physical or sexual assault; often used as a formal or euphemistic term for rape.
Simple“The victim spoke bravely about the violation she suffered during the attack.”
In context“The legal definition of the crime was expanded to include any form of physical violation committed without the victim's explicit consent.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is very sensitive and formal; in everyday conversation, people usually use more specific terms like 'assault'.
- 04 C1 Advanced
a funny or mean comment that points out someone's embarrassing mistake.
a humorous or mocking observation regarding a person's appearance, behavior, or social failure.
Simple“That haircut is a total violation; you should ask for your money back.”
In context“The group chat was filled with laughter after Mark posted a photo of his failed attempt at cooking, calling it a violation of Italian culture.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'that's a violation' to react to an insult or a mistake.
Antonyms
Usage violation of fundamental · violations of federal
“The feature in part addresses years of reports that the company’s system had been used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortions, at times in violation of state or local laws.”
“The platform faces potential fines of up to 50m reais ($9.67m) per violation.”
Borrowed from Middle French violation, from Latin violātiō (“injury, profanation”), from violō (“I treat with violence; I maltreat; I violate, defile, profane”). Morphologically violate + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.