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

Lazio’s deal with Polymarket, which is unlicensed by Italy’s customs, excises and monopolies agency, is compliant under the same criteria. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 28 July 2026

Less than a week before the council’s referendum decision, the administration sued Half Moon Bay and four cities outside the Bay Area over their failure to adopt compliant housing plans. — Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 27 July 2026

Accessibility Hotel Wailea has two dedicated ADA-compliant rooms that can be reached by gently sloping paved pathways. — Ronee Uyeshiro, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2026

Canada, placed in the lower 10% tier with an exemption for USMCA-compliant goods, struck the mildest tone. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 July 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

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

Kids Definition

compliant

adjective

com·​pli·​ant kəm-ˈplī-ənt 

: ready or willing to comply : submissive

compliantly adverb