1
2
3
4

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 Even when Rivers facetiously dug in with questions about why Feinberg didn’t conform to one gender or another, zie flipped the question and asked why the system existed at all. Quispe López, Them., 29 Aug. 2025 Such rule changes, made to conform to the law, can be adopted in an open board meeting without the normal two-step, 28-day process of Civil Code 4360. Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025 The one on top is soft, conforming to your body, while the firmer one underneath provides support. Wes Siler, Outside, 27 Aug. 2025 Mitevska does conform though to the popular imagination of the extreme devotion exhibited by Saint Teresa towards the downtrodden. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conform
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conform
Verb
  • Following the success of EA’s 2024 return to college football, the company teased a corresponding basketball series this June.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • In the corresponding quarter last year, comparable store sales were down 21 percent.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Sunseeker is a leader in intelligent garden care, blending the past with the present and real with the digital.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
  • New to the menu is the Cereal N’ Milk Latte, a take on the Dunkalatte, blended with cereal milk and espresso for a marshmallow-cereal flavor.
    Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Cultural fluency also means reconciling work habits.
    Nathanael Bondu, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
  • King Charles and Prince Harry are closer to not just reconciling, but meeting in person.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Velasco adapted and transformed the classroom at Dishchii’bikoh Community School to match the curriculum.
    Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • These plants are adapted to the specific soils, climate and other local conditions of their region and support the local food web, providing habitat for native wildlife, pollinators and insects.
    Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Zdon and his talented group of classmates, which includes nine third-year starters, have been instrumental in helping reverse Grant’s fortunes, with their arrival coinciding with Norwood becoming coach.
    Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
  • The totals included two new records, coinciding with a subsiding Middle Tennessee heat wave.
    Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Clearly, this correlates nearly with the birth rate exploding; 16 players born in 1948 represented England, including Ray Clemence and Trevor Brooking, the highest figure for any single year since 1901.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • But basketball presented an additional challenge for an Ultimate Team mode, as hoops performance is generally more height-correlated than in soccer, complicating how WNBA players might fare on the same virtual court as NBA players in MyTeam.
    Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Values are adjusted for teams whose stadium economics are expected to improve soon, such as the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans, who are scheduled to move into new stadiums in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
    Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The gift set is a small TIE Fighter with a hangar rack that fits into the main set.
    Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • One of the zippered pockets is even large enough to fit a passport, making these a great option for travel days as well.
    Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conform. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on conform

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!