conformity

American  

[kuhn-fawr-mi-tee] / kənˈfɔr mɪ ti /

noun

plural

conformities

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.

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conformity British  

/ 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

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conformity Cultural  

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.)

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Other Word Forms

• anticonformity noun
• hyperconformity noun
• preconformity noun
• semiconformity noun
• superconformity noun

Etymology

Origin of conformity

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

Example Sentences

Whatever one thinks of Reform—and it’s hard to know what to think of it—such an outcome would suggest that Scotland’s era of slumbrous conformity may soon come to an end.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

The family argued that their rights, which requires the State providing education to "respect the right of parents to ensure such education is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions", had been contravened.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

Unforced but ever-present in Reichardt’s mise-en-scène, they remind us that this bored aesthete’s misadventure is an especially empty way to buck conformity.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

That distinction is really significant in a world that expects invisibility and conformity for us to be seen as beautiful.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2025

Most surrender to the vague but murderous pressure of adult conformity.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Related Words

• obedience