Conformist

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈfɔː.mɪst/

Definitions

1. Someone who follows established social customs, rules, or standards without questioning or challenging them
2. A person who accepts and practices conventional norms and behaviors while avoiding any form of individual expression or deviation from the majority standards
3. An individual who adheres strictly to accepted social norms and ways of behaving without seeking to diverge from them

Etymology: Conformist is a plain formation: the verb "conform" with the suffix "-ist" attached. Conform comes from Latin "conformare," meaning to shape together or give a common form, built from "com-" (together) and "formare" (to form). The suffix "-ist" has a longer route. It descends from Ancient Greek "-istēs," an agent suffix marking a person who does or follows something, and it reached English through Latin "-ista" and Old French "-iste," arriving in Middle English as "-ist." The "-ist" ending was the same tool English used for people who practise or believe in something, such as a "realist" or a "dramatist." Attaching it to "conform" produced a label for someone who follows the common pattern. The word's central idea, shaping things to match a shared form, is already present in the Latin verb, and the noun simply names the person who keeps to that shape.

Synonyms: follower, traditionalist

Antonyms: nonconformist, rebel