Origin: Latin suffix -ance
Compliance has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
acting according to certain accepted standards
"their financial statements are in conformity with generally accepted accounting practices"
a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
"Her excessive compliance made it easy for her boss to keep changing his mind about project deadlines."
the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another
"The company's sudden compliance with the regulators' demands signaled that they had finally surrendered control over their data practices."
An act of complying.
"The factory was ordered to shut down immediately after their non-compliance with safety regulations caused an accident."
In plain English: Compliance means following rules or orders exactly as they are given.
"The company faces fines if they fail to show full compliance with new safety regulations."
Usage: Compliance refers to the action or state of obeying rules, regulations, or requests. Use this noun when describing an individual's or organization's adherence to specific standards rather than the general ability to comply.
The word compliance comes from combining the verb comply with the suffix -ance to form a noun. It entered English as a way to describe the state of acting according to another's wishes or rules.