Definition of conformnext
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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb conform contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of conform are accommodate, adapt, adjust, and reconcile. While all these words mean "to bring one thing into correspondence with another," conform applies to bringing into accordance with a pattern, example, or principle.

refused to conform to society's values

Where would accommodate be a reasonable alternative to conform?

The words accommodate and conform can be used in similar contexts, but accommodate may suggest yielding or compromising to effect a correspondence.

accommodated his political beliefs in order to win

When could adapt be used to replace conform?

The meanings of adapt and conform largely overlap; however, adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances.

adapted themselves to the warmer climate

When would adjust be a good substitute for conform?

In some situations, the words adjust and conform are roughly equivalent. However, adjust suggests bringing into a close and exact correspondence or harmony such as exists between parts of a mechanism.

adjusted the budget to allow for inflation

When might reconcile be a better fit than conform?

The synonyms reconcile and conform are sometimes interchangeable, but reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible.

tried to reconcile what he said with what I knew

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conform Those figures conform to those generated this year by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an advisory panel for Congress, which found that the subsidies reduced average Part D premiums by $26 a month last year and $16 this year. Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 YouTube will continue consuming an increasing share of television viewing without conforming to Hollywood’s traditional definitions of either a studio or a network. Paul Hardart, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 This material conforms to your body and holds up well over time. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 Many changes are stylistic, attempting to conform to the language of the regulation to existing language in use in other state statutes. Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for conform
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conform
Verb
  • Anticipating their communications would ​be sought through Freedom of Information Act requests, Morens and others agreed to correspond using Morens’ personal email account ​instead of his government one, prosecutors said.
    Reuters, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026
  • While the woman was unnamed in the police memo, a corresponding court case names Gallagher as the subject of an Apprehended Violence Application filed on behalf of Gael Cameron, a fellow Below Deck castmate with whom Gallagher shares a young child.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The collection of minor hits and near-misses from the 1960s blended rough edges and euphoric hooks.
    Steve Appleford, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Randolph, a four-year varsity player, emerged last season as a disruptive force by blending elite size with mobility, quickness and athleticism.
    Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In those earliest works using magazine transfers, Cowin layered disjunctive images, visually uniting realities that can’t easily be reconciled emotionally.
    Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than actual service failures, those logistical wrinkles serve as reminders that beneath the polished five-star veneer sits a functioning medical practice attempting to reconcile luxury hospitality with individualized medicine.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • For instance, organizations routinely apply these tools to localize regional marketing campaigns, update compliance documentation and adapt customer service knowledge bases, to name a few.
    Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
  • During the day, the menu reclaims fry bread, a dish with a knotty history among Indigenous groups, as they were forced to adapt to US government rations when forcibly displaced from their homes.
    The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Brian Fluharty / Getty Images Rutschman’s emergence has coincided with Gasper’s solid at-bats since being recalled over the weekend in light of Masataka Yoshida’s appointment to the IL.
    Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • As with the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, many of the attacks coincided with local civil rights activism and protest.
    Jason Wollschleger, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Land is a finite resource and positively correlated with inflation, continuing to appreciate as costs go up.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Entangled photons have quantum properties that remain correlated even when the particles are separated by long distances.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • To make up the difference, the school adjusted its bell schedule, including adding time to class periods.
    Conor McGill, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • One way is by adjusting the draft for vessels going through the locks.
    Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Legal experts dispute Abbott’s claims that the ritual washing stations are discriminatory, with some saying his attack fits a pattern of anti-Muslim actions and rhetoric.
    Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Some suites intentionally feel cave-like and cocooning, which fits the atmosphere but may not suit everyone.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Conform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conform. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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