Conformists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who follow societal expectations and norms without deviation
2. Those who accept and practice conventional standards of behavior in a group
3. Persons who adopt and live according to traditional social norms and expectations

Etymology: "Conformists" is simply the plural of "conformist," a noun for someone who goes along with prevailing norms. The core of the word is the verb "conform," borrowed into English from Latin "conformare," meaning to shape or fashion something according to a pattern, with "con-" (together) and "formare" (to form). The ending "-ist" is the suffix that turns the verb into a person-noun, a pattern English took over from Greek through Latin and French. That suffix has a long pedigree. In ancient Greek, forms ending in "-istēs" named people who practised or followed something, and Latin borrowed the pattern as "-ista." Old French carried it into Middle English, where "-ist" became a productive ending for building new words from existing roots, so speakers could attach it to almost anything. "Conformist" is one such formation, built in English from "conform" plus "-ist" rather than inherited from an older word.

Synonyms: followers, adherents

Antonyms: nonconformists, rebels