Skip to main content
conformist

conformist

2 5.7
A person who follows rules and usual ways instead of trying new ideas
  • noun
  • /kənˈfɔːrmɪst/
translation icon : conformista
  • As a conformist, she preferred to dress like everyone else at her school.

And so when I see someone who's a conformist, I think they're a coward.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Yellow Calf can be seen as an anxious, uncertain conformist, looking for "adjustment" and taking his cues from advertising, the mass media, and politics.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The abstainer tends to be more of a conformist, with worries and concerns about life.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Peter is cautious, a conformist who, as mayor of his town, kowtows to the rich.

    Blog text (29)
  • Surely you who have come here must be the ultimate conformists.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Conformists are easiest to control.

  • And these people may not be of leadership caliber, too; often they are just followers or conformists who lack new ideas.

    Blog text (13)
  • Rather, they have been asked to be conformists and simply to implement the ideas that the "real thinkers" and "real innovators" have developed.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Then there is the undiscriminating, ultra-conventional conformist, avoiding any distinctive judgments.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Well, the first thing we should point out is that being a conformist isn't the highest of moral virtues, but being unable to conform is worse.

  • The university-employed intellectuals are not pallid conformists confined to the belly of the whale, but powerful thinkers and writers who have found a bully pulpit and use it to good effect.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

traditionalist
vsconformist
20 5.6

A person who holds strongly to old customs and resists change

concerns personal fitting to current standards rather than opposing change
moralist
vsconformist
3 7.0

A person who insists others follow strict rules about right and wrong

is about following accepted standards rather than judging morality strongly
rule-follower
vsconformist
1 4.8

A person who always obeys instructions and people in charge

is similar but covers both gentle and strict adherence to customs
upholder
vsconformist
1 5.5

A person who supports a belief, cause, or tradition

is more about fitting in personally than actively defending principles
conformer
vsconformist
7.4

A person who follows what most people do and think

focuses more on fitting into standards especially in conduct or religion
nondeviant
vsconformist
8.1

A person who behaves in the usual way that most people accept

adds emphasis on accepted standards and customs, not only avoiding deviation
complier
vsconformist
3.6

A person who follows rules and does what they are asked

is broader, applying to general fitting in with customs and standards
abider
vsconformist
6.0

A person who follows rules and laws

highlights active matching to social or religious standards rather than passive acceptance
rigorist
vsconformist
  • Formal
9.5

A person who is very strict about following rules, especially in religion or ethics

is less about strict principle and more about general social or religious fitting
ritualist
vsconformist
7.8

A person who follows religious ceremonies exactly and insists others do too

covers broader conformity beyond rituals to everyday rules and customs
legalist
vsconformist
8.1

Insisting on following laws and formal rules exactly

focuses instead on accepted social and religious standards, not only laws

Antonyms

A person who does not follow the usual customs or rules of society

How Conformist

yes-man
  • Offensive
4 8.1
conformist
2 5.7
conformer
7.4
dissenter
22 7.2

Surface Forms

conformist singular
conformists plural

Morphology

conformist = conform (transparent) = conform + ist

The noun is transparently formed by adding the productive agent suffix '-ist' to 'conform', meaning 'one who conforms'.

Etymology

Conformist comes from the parts con- and form, with con- meaning 'with' and form meaning 'shape'. So, a conformist is a person who fits the usual 'shape' of behaviour and follows accepted rules and customs.