Comply vs Obey - What's the difference?
comply | obey |
To yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform.
* (John Milton) (1608-1674)
* (John Tillotson) (1630-1694)
* 1664? , , (Hudibras)
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
, chapter=6, title= *
(label) To be ceremoniously courteous; to make one's compliments.
* 1599 , , II. ii. 371:
(label) To fulfill; to accomplish.
(label) To enfold; to embrace.
* (1591-1674)
To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
To do as one is told.
(obsolete) To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).
* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iv:
As verbs the difference between comply and obey
is that comply is to yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform while obey is to do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.comply
English
Verb
(en-verb)- Yet this be sure, in nothing to comply , / Scandalous or forbidden in our law.
- They did servilely comply with the people in worshiping God by sensible images.
- He that complies against his will / Is of his own opinion still.
A Cuckoo in the Nest, passage=But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied .}}
- Let me comply with you in this / garb, lest my extent to the players, which I tell you must / show fairly outwards, should more appear like entertainment / than yours.
- (Chapman)
- Seemed to comply , / Cloudlike, the daintie deitie.
Usage notes
* Usually followed by "with".Antonyms
* violateAnagrams
*obey
English
Verb
(en verb)- They were all taught by Triton, to obay / To the long raynes, at her commaundement [...].