Basic Details
Word: Compliance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The act of obeying a rule, law or request.
Synonyms: obedience, conformity, observance, agreement
Antonyms: violation, defiance, disobedience
How to Spell Compliance
Syllables: com - pli - ance
Tricky part: The y of comply changes to i, and the ending is ance, not ence. So it is compl-i-ance.
Watch out for: complyance, complience, complaince
Memory tip: Comply swaps its y for an i before ance, just as rely becomes reliance and ally becomes alliance.
Usage Examples
Example 1: All shops must act in compliance with the new plastic ban.
Example 2: The inspector checked the school's compliance with fire safety rules.
Example 3: In compliance with the doctor's advice, Dada stopped eating sweets.
Fun Fact
Comply came into English from Italian complire, to fulfil, which goes back to the same Latin complere, to fill up, that gave us complete.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to compliance as used in the sentence:
The factory's strict compliance with safety rules saved many lives during the fire.
a) observance
b) violation
c) adherence
d) obedience
Show answer
b) violation. Compliance means following the rules; breaking them is a violation.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. compliance 2. penelty 3. regulasion 4. permision
a) a punishment for breaking a rule
b) the act of obeying a rule or request
c) an official rule made by an authority
d) the right given to someone to do something
Show answer
b) the act of obeying a rule or request. Only compliance is correct; regulation, penalty and permission are the proper spellings.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
compl_an_e
a) i, s
b) i, c
c) e, c
d) y, c
Show answer
b) i, c. The y of comply turns into i, and the ending is ance with a c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Compliance is the noun of which verb?
a) complain
b) comply
c) compile
d) complete
Show answer
b) comply
2. A compliant person is one who ____.
a) complains about everything
b) readily agrees and follows rules
c) is very clever
d) never finishes work
Show answer
b) readily agrees and follows rules
