compliant

adjective

com·​pli·​ant kəm-ˈplī-ənt 

1

: ready or disposed to comply : submissive

a corrupt regime aided by a compliant press

was compliant and eager to please

2

: conforming to requirements

compliant software

compliantly adverb

Synonyms

• amenable
• biddable
• conformable
• docile
• law-abiding
• obedient
• submissive
• tractable

Examples of compliant in a Sentence

I asked him for a favor, and he was compliant.

The student's shirt was not compliant with the school's dress code.

The software is compliant with the latest standards.

Recent Examples on the Web

The cotton, subject to EU regulations, is GMO-free, compliant with labor laws, and cultivated using water-efficient farming practices. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 6 Mar. 2025

Lutnick said Trump is considering excluding sectors that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement’s content provisions. —Spencer Kimball,kevin Breuninger,jesse Pound, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025

This poor selection process isn’t only bad for the public fisc, but costs an unnecessary number of compliant partnerships the time and money required for an audit to merely confirm that everything is in order. —Joshua D. Smeltzer, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

Berezovsky, who elevated Putin to power from behind the scenes, was soon exiled and replaced with more compliant oligarchs. —Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

comply + -ant entry 2

Note: The meaning of compliant has most likely been influenced by the etymologically unrelated word pliant.

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for compliant

• defiant
• reliant
• suppliant
• client
• giant
• pliant
• scient
• noncompliant
• supergiant

Kids Definition

compliant

adjective

com·​pli·​ant kəm-ˈplī-ənt 

: ready or willing to comply : submissive

compliantly adverb