non-compliance

IPA/ˌnɒn kəmˈplaɪəns/
KK[nˌɑnkəmplˈaɪəns]IPA/ˌnɑːn kəmˈplaɪəns/

non-compliance — noun

1. behaviour by a company, worker, or organisation that breaks the rules, laws, or

1.nounC1
Definition

behaviour by a company, worker, or organisation that breaks the rules, laws, or industry standards they are supposed to follow.

Example

The factory was fined heavily for non-compliance with environmental safety rules.

non-compliance with + [regulation noun]

Nora warned the small bakery that non-compliance with food hygiene laws could close the shop.

subject is a regulator warning an entity

Common collocations
  • non-compliance with [regulations/laws/standards]
  • widespread non-compliance
  • repeated non-compliance
  • wilful non-compliance
  • penalties for non-compliance
  • fined for non-compliance
  • cases of non-compliance
Synonyms
  • violation

    stronger; suggests an active breach of a specific rule rather than failure to follow it

  • breach

    formal, often legal; usually points to one specific rule that was broken

  • infringement

    formal; typically a smaller or technical breaking of a rule or right

Antonyms
  • compliance

    the act of following the rules

  • adherence

    slightly more formal; suggests careful, ongoing following of rules

Grammar Patterns

non-compliance with [rules/laws/regulations]

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and followed by 'with' + the rule, law, standard, or regulation that was broken. Subject is typically an organisation, business, or worker, not an individual private person.

Common Mistakes

a non-compliance happened at the factory
non-compliance with safety rules happened at the factory
the word is uncountable and almost always takes 'with + [rule]'.
He showed non-compliance to the law.
He showed non-compliance with the law.
the standard preposition is 'with', not 'to'.

2. a patient's failure to take prescribed medicine, attend treatment, or follow the

2.nounC1
Definition

a patient's failure to take prescribed medicine, attend treatment, or follow the health advice that a doctor or nurse has given.

Example

Patient non-compliance with the antibiotic course can make the infection harder to treat.

collocation: patient non-compliance

Dr. Imran asked simple questions to find out why his elderly patients had high non-compliance rates.

collocation: high non-compliance rates

Common collocations
  • patient non-compliance
  • non-compliance rates
  • medication non-compliance
  • non-compliance with treatment
  • non-compliance with the regimen
Synonyms
  • non-adherence

    preferred term in modern medical writing; sounds less blaming than non-compliance

  • treatment dropout

    informal medical English; when a patient stops the treatment completely

Antonyms
  • compliance

    the patient follows the treatment as prescribed

  • adherence

    now the preferred clinical term for following a treatment plan

Grammar Patterns

patient non-compliance

non-compliance with [treatment]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is restricted to medical contexts (medicines, vaccines, treatment plans). The subject is a patient, not a company. Often appears as 'patient non-compliance' or 'non-compliance rates'.

Common Mistakes

My son does non-compliance about his asthma inhaler.
My son's non-compliance with his asthma inhaler worries the doctor.
non-compliance is a noun describing the situation, not an action you 'do'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe failure to obey rules, but the register and severity differ. 'Non-compliance' is the broadest and most neutral — it simply says a person or company did not follow the rules, without judging whether the failure was deliberate. 'Violation' is stronger and usually points to an active breach of a specific rule; a company can have non-compliance issues for years before any single violation is recorded. 'Breach' is formal and common in legal writing — a breach of contract or a breach of regulation names the exact rule that was broken. 'Infringement' suggests a smaller or technical wrong, often used for rights and patents. For example, a delayed safety report is non-compliance; deliberately hiding the report is a violation or breach; copying another firm's logo is a trademark infringement.

non-compliance ↗violation ↗breach ↗infringement ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • non-compliance with regulations
  • penalties for non-compliance
  • cases of non-compliance
  • fined for non-compliance
  • patient non-compliance

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

Built from the prefix 'non-' (Latin 'non' meaning 'not') and 'compliance', which entered English in the early 1600s from the verb 'comply' — itself from Italian 'complire' and ultimately Latin 'complere' (to fill up, fulfil). 'Compliance' originally meant the act of fulfilling a request or wish. 'Non-compliance' is much newer, appearing in 19th-century legal and medical writing once 'compliance' had narrowed to mean obeying rules and treatment plans.