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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 But the movie is also about a different kind of horror associated with having a child — Valeria is being forced to conform to the role of mother, with the sometimes suffocating restrictions of traditional family values. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025 In 2025, the conforming loan limit for a single-family home is $1,209,750. Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025 The study’s results show that gamers do not conform to any single archetype of a person, and that the average gamer is both older and less likely to be male than the stereotype might suggest. Andrew McGowan, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025 This creates pressure on boys to conform to certain male beauty standards. Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conform
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conform
Verb
  • Use the links and bonus codes that correspond with your state.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
  • One analysis notes national rail emits ~35 g CO₂e per kilometer, while average gasoline cars emit ~170 g - meaning that train travel can correspond to only ~20% of the carbon per person compared to driving.
    Chelsea Haney October 25, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Over 42% have adopted a platform approach, often blending open source and hybrid architectures.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Ina's trick for quick preparation is using a food processor to blend the butter and flour swiftly.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • How does Clark reconcile the dangers of sports betting with players’ financial gains?
    Evan Drellich, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • And there’s also the fact that Harry has taken the first steps towards possibly reconciling with his family, and is eager to continue working on that.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The early signs are encouraging but the players are still adapting to Alonso’s demands.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • In the early days of the conflict, the Ukrainian military was much more agile than Russian forces in terms of adapting tactics and equipment.
    Tim Lister, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In that world, the public interest seldom coincided with popular opinion.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • His tenure coincided with the introduction of new technologies to broadcast the Olympics, and the shift in TV operations and transmission from analog to digital technologies and high definition TV.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Diversification, especially into areas that aren’t perfectly correlated, stabilizes your portfolio so that not every part moves in lockstep when markets shift.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
  • This also correlates with an increase in the number of Americans who hold a positive view of religion.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • United’s players were still adjusting to Amorim’s system.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • To test the effect of static charge on airborne nematodes, Ortega-Jiménez tethered living fruit flies to a live copper wire and adjusted the voltage between 100 and 700 volts, comparable to what insects would generate in the wild.
    Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The only player fitting the indictment’s description is Anthony Davis.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
  • When the shark measuring about 10 feet didn’t fit through the door, Mucerino and Burress got a bite of inspiration.
    Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Conform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conform. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on conform

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