complacency

noun

com·​pla·​cen·​cy kəm-ˈplā-sᵊn(t)-sē 

plural complacencies

1

: a calm sense of well-being and security : the quality or state of being satisfied

especially : satisfaction or self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies

When it comes to safety, complacency can be dangerous.

… if he avoids the complacency that can accompany quick riches and celebrity—he could ripen into a world-class performer.

—Larry Dorman

2

: an instance of usually unaware or uninformed self-satisfaction

And I suggest that there's a complacency there that comes from success.

—Alan Shepard, quoted in Yankee

Synonyms of complacency

• vanity
• ego
• pridefulness
• pride
• arrogance

Examples of complacency in a Sentence

He sees a dangerous sense of complacency about the U.S. stock market—where investors were emboldened after the 1998 downturn was followed by a resounding snapback. —Bernard Wysocki, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 3 Aug. 1999

He spoke, however, with resignation, even complacency, rather than anguish. —Harriet Ritvo, The Platypus and The Mermaid, 1997

… you say to yourself, "OK, why did it happen? Why did we make those bad engineering decisions we made in 1967 and 1986 with Challenger?" I'll tell you. It's the human element. And I suggest that there's a complacency there that comes from success. —Alan Shepard, Yankee, October 1991

Tony Brace lived in Richmond, in circumstances of impeccable domestic content. Matthew and Susan had visited, in the early days of their marriage; driving home, they had mocked the décor and the connubial complacency. —Penelope Lively, City Of The Mind, 1991

The public was lulled into complacency.

a momentary complacency that was quickly dispelled by the shock of cold reality

Recent Examples on the Web

Any worries about complacency were wiped away in the third minute when Auston Trusty fired home the opening goal and caused the stands at SoFi Stadium to shake (literally) with the noise and jumping fans. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

While new tools like the NWS HeatRisk scale aim to improve public awareness, overcoming ingrained complacency remains a significant challenge. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Until Jennings produced Aquarium’s 2020 record Lamentations, Barham believed the way to avoid complacency in the studio was to change producers for each record. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026

But there’s also a danger in complacency, because perception can become reality. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see complacent

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing complacency

• self-complacency

Rhymes for complacency

• adjacency

Kids Definition

complacency

noun

com·​pla·​cen·​cy kəm-ˈplās-ᵊn-sē 

: complacence