conformity

[ kuhn-fawr-mi-tee ]

noun

, plural con·form·i·ties.

1. action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices, etc.
2. correspondence in form, nature, or character; agreement, congruity, or accordance.
3. compliance or acquiescence; obedience.
4. (often initial capital letter) compliance with the usages of an established church, especially the Church of England.
5. Geology. the relationship between adjacent conformable strata. Compare unconformity ( def 2a ).

conformity

/ kənˈfɔːmɪtɪ /

noun

1. compliance in actions, behaviour, etc, with certain accepted standards or norms
2. correspondence or likeness in form or appearance; congruity; agreement
3. compliance with the practices of an established church

conformity

1. Agreement between an individual's behavior and a group's standards or expectations. A conformist is one who follows the majority's desires or standards. ( See also beatniks , bureaucrat , organization man (see also organization man ), peer group , and peer pressure .)

Other Words From

• anti·con·formi·ty noun plural anticonformities
• hyper·con·formi·ty noun
• precon·formi·ty noun
• semi·con·formi·ty noun
• super·con·formi·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conformity¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English conformite, from Middle French, from Late Latin confōrmitās; equivalent to conform + -ity

Example Sentences

Conversations with Republican voters and speeches at the RNC made it clear that their idea of "unity" is conformity.

From Salon

But he can't actually conquer them, because if he ever achieved the alleged paradise of conformity he promises, his followers wouldn't need him anymore.

From Salon

And once we recenter the figures on the edge, the putative center becomes distant and defamiliarized, stripped of its protective sheen of conformity in a way that makes its true freakishness visible.

From Slate

Republicans in leadership, and many of their fans, have historically been able to shrug off accusations of moral grotesquery because they are safely installed in their cocoon of conformity; the monsters must be the other guys, the ones outside the boundaries.

From Slate

There are brain pathways for copying and following others — in the cortex, dopamine system, and pain centers, to motivate conformity and violence.

From Salon

Related Words

• consonance