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

To Carlson, objectivity is conformity, and conformity is cowardice.

From Time

To move up through the ranks in law enforcement, a certain amount of conformity and unwillingness to rock the boat is required.

From Voice of San Diego

She wears a uniform without it becoming a statement of conformity.

From Washington Post

It’s important to think carefully about the message, because there’s more than one type of conformity.

From Vox

They should emphasize that sometimes conformity takes courage.

From Vox

Ginsberg the ad man beats back against the conformity of the computer and is swallowed whole.

From The Daily Beast

(See also this excellent article by Dr. Eric Grollman about gender conformity & gender non-conformity).

From The Daily Beast

Funeral was about childhood and death; Neon Bible was about organized religion; The Suburbs was about community and conformity.

From The Daily Beast

The most striking thing about the latter, after all, is its monolithic conformity.

From The Daily Beast

The playground, especially among little boys, is a place of cowardice and conformity.

From The Daily Beast

By a “single” or “one reading,” I mean a single careful perusal in conformity to the requirements of my System.

From Project Gutenberg

So that in conformity every Man may take great comfort in himself, and all Mankind live well with one another.

From Project Gutenberg

There was much to be said about occasional conformity, about toleration, about the relation between Church and State.

From Project Gutenberg

He pushed his conformity to what he considered the usages of the Primitive Church to the verge of eccentricity.

From Project Gutenberg

This was most probably, in many instances a mere unthinking conformity to ancient use and wont.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• consonance