Meaning & use
conformist
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Meanings
nouncountable
Someone who goes along with the accepted rules, habits, and opinions of a group instead of thinking or acting differently.
Grammar: Countable: a conformist, many conformists; can be mildly critical.
Patterns
- a conformist in something
As a teenager he was a conformist who dressed like everyone else.
Critics called the committee a group of conformists.
She refused to be a conformist, even at work.
adjectivecomparable
Following accepted rules, habits, and opinions rather than acting independently.
Grammar: Can be used before a noun or after a verb: a conformist attitude, quite conformist.
Patterns
- conformist views
- conformist behavior
The school had a strict, conformist culture.
His conformist views rarely surprised anyone.
The film mocks conformist suburban life.
Word forms
| plural | conformists |
|---|
Common combinations
- a social conformist
- He was a social conformist who never questioned tradition.
- conformist attitude
- A conformist attitude kept the team from trying new ideas.
- pressure to be a conformist
- There is strong pressure to be a conformist in small towns.
- conformist society
- The novel portrays a conformist society.
Synonyms and how they differ
- traditionalist
- A traditionalist sticks to old customs deliberately, while a conformist simply follows what the group does.
- conventional
- Conventional describes ordinary or typical things and is milder than conformist, which suggests going along with others.
- yes-man
- A yes-man agrees with a boss to please them, which is narrower and more insulting than conformist.
Opposites
Word family
- conform verb
- to follow rules or standards
- conformity noun
- behavior that follows accepted norms
- conformism noun
- the habit of following accepted norms
- nonconformist noun
- a person who does not follow norms
Commonly confused: conformist or conformer? conformist or conformity?
conformist vs conformer
This is a rare word and not standard for a person who fits in; conformist is the usual term.
conformist vs conformity
Conformity is the behavior or state, while a conformist is the person.
Practice
Unlike her rebellious brother, Mia was a ____ who always followed the rules.
Choose one answer.
A conformist follows accepted rules. Maverick and nonconformist describe the opposite, and skeptic means someone who doubts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “conformist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.