noncompliance

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The failure to obey a rule, law, or instruction.

   Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or plural: 'noncompliance with the rules'.

   Patterns

   • noncompliance with something

   The company was fined for noncompliance with safety regulations.

   Noncompliance with the treatment plan can lead to serious health problems.

   The audit found several instances of noncompliance.

2. 2noununcountable

   The failure to follow agreed standards or cooperate with a prescribed course of action.

   Grammar: Often used in medical or workplace contexts: 'patient noncompliance'.

   Patterns

   • noncompliance with something
   • patient noncompliance

   The doctor was concerned about the patient's noncompliance with the medication schedule.

   Noncompliance among staff led to delays in the project.

Common combinations

noncompliance with

Noncompliance with the building code resulted in a penalty.

willful noncompliance

Willful noncompliance can lead to legal action.

patient noncompliance

Patient noncompliance is a common challenge in chronic illness management.

noncompliance rate

The noncompliance rate for the new policy was surprisingly high.

Synonyms and how they differ

disobedience

More general; often used for people, especially children, rather than formal rules.

violation

Focuses on the act of breaking a rule, not the state of not complying.

infringement

Used especially for breaking laws or rights; more formal and legalistic.

Opposites

Word family

noncompliant adjective

Not obeying a rule or instruction.

compliance noun

The act of obeying a rule or request.

comply verb

To act in accordance with a rule or request.

Commonly confused: noncompliance or noncompliant?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “noncompliance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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