Other Word Forms
- nonadherence noun
- preadherence noun
Etymology
Origin of adherence
Explanation
Adherence means "sticking to" or "being faithful to," such as your adherence to your diet even when chocolate cake is around, or students' adherence to school rules — they do not use cell phones or music players in class. The noun adherence is related to the verb adhere, meaning “to stick.” If something adheres, it sticks it to something, like a bumper stick that adheres to a car or a person who adheres to a plan, not changing it along the way. Adherence describes this willingness to stick or be faithful, like adherence to child labor laws that means young workers cannot work past a certain time on school nights.
Vocabulary lists containing adherence
This Week in Words: December 9 - 15, 2017
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lyddie
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
In effect, the free flow of goods on the open seas hinged on global adherence to rules the U.S. helped write, but lacked the capacity to enforce.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
“We maintain a robust compliance program and are committed to full adherence to all applicable U.S. export and re-export control laws and regulations.”
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
In fact, the National Committee for Quality Assurance only tracked whether someone was on a statin, and their adherence to it.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
The goal isn’t rigid adherence but a gentle sense of cohesion — the difference between a table that feels like a shared meal and one that looks like the snack aisle at Target.
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026
Its rulers are not held together by blood ties but by adherence to a common doctrine.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
