Violating

How to spell violating

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce violating

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does violating mean?

1. verbBreaking or failing to comply with a law, rule, agreement, or standard.
2. verbIntruding upon or disrespecting something such as privacy, dignity, or sacred space.

Violating in a sentence

• The company was fined for violating safety regulations.

• Posting those photos without consent is violating her privacy.

• Parking on the pavement is violating the local traffic code.

• The developers were accused of violating a protected burial ground.

Where does violating come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb violare, which meant to treat with force, to outrage, or to dishonour. That verb was built on vis, the Latin noun for force, strength, or violence, so the original idea was of breaking something open by sheer force. English took it up in the late Middle Ages, and by the 1400s 'violate' had settled into its modern senses of breaking a law, a promise, or a sacred boundary. The present participle 'violating' simply adds the -ing ending to that verb. Its close relative 'violence' shares the very same vis root, which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the 'i' before the 'o' rather than the reverse.

How the word is built

• viol- (from Latin violare: to treat with force)
• -ate (verb suffix)
• -ing (present participle)