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 of compliant

• obedient

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

In his report, also shared with the governor’s office, Ethridge said flight operations contained critical safety gaps including no documentation that the aviation unit was compliant with FAA standards, and that flights took place when conditions were unsafe. —Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026

Sacchieri said the suit is aimed at stopping the transfer of any information, but especially the information of those who sought a non-compliant license. —Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice, 29 Jan. 2026

The department says that 82% of the consent decree is either in compliance or on track to be compliant. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026

Sprout supports whole-body behaviors, including walking, kneeling, crawling, compliant physical interaction, and recovery from falls, alongside core capabilities such as teleoperation, mapping, navigation, and expressive human–robot interaction primitives. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026

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