complacent
adjective
com·pla·cent
kəm-ˈplā-sᵊnt 
1
a
: marked by satisfaction with the status quo especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies : marked by complacency
The American people, so complacent up to then, suddenly buzzed with wild rumors.—
Evan Thomas
Evan Thomas
b
: self-satisfied
a complacent smile
… it is perhaps the most complacent, satisfied, petit bourgeois nation in Europe, if not on earth.—Robert D. Kaplan
Robert D. Kaplan2
: unconcerned
False alarms, or warnings where no tornado follows, can make people complacent.—Melissa Gaskill
Melissa Gaskill3
: complaisant sense 1
complacent flattery
complacently
adverb
Examples of complacent in a Sentence
… I gazed at my mother's poised, beautiful profile as her face turned from side to side, calm or complacent, accepting what the route offered.
—Donald Hall, Atlantic, October 1996
Mr. Davis organized his second great quintet in the mid-60's, but by then jazz had taken a new turn and many felt he had become passé, a complacent peacock.
—Gary Giddins, New York Times Book Review, 15 Oct. 1989
… he hopes to break through the reader's complacent indifference, make him aware of his predicament, and force him to take sides.
—Monroe K. Spears, American Ambitions, 1987
Lord Lathkill … was so completely unostentatious, so very willing to pay all the attention to me, and yet so subtly complacent, so unquestionably sure of his position.
—D. H. Lawrence, The Complete Short Stories Volume III, (1922) 1981
The strong economy has made people complacent.
We have grown too complacent over the years.
We can't afford to be complacent about illiteracy.
Donald Hall, Atlantic, October 1996
Mr. Davis organized his second great quintet in the mid-60's, but by then jazz had taken a new turn and many felt he had become passé, a complacent peacock.
—Gary Giddins, New York Times Book Review, 15 Oct. 1989
… he hopes to break through the reader's complacent indifference, make him aware of his predicament, and force him to take sides.
—Monroe K. Spears, American Ambitions, 1987
Lord Lathkill … was so completely unostentatious, so very willing to pay all the attention to me, and yet so subtly complacent, so unquestionably sure of his position.
—D. H. Lawrence, The Complete Short Stories Volume III, (1922) 1981
The strong economy has made people complacent.
We have grown too complacent over the years.
We can't afford to be complacent about illiteracy.
Recent Examples on the Web
The complacent faces of phony mediums swirl in my head, along with unsettling spirit photographs and images of puppies that had died with a sudden yelp for no apparent reason.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
What makes the task ahead even more daunting is that the Aces know not to be complacent.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Without the feeling of a direct threat, many people were complacent about actually doing that.
—Teri Schultz, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
The British government should not get complacent, however.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacent
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Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
What makes the task ahead even more daunting is that the Aces know not to be complacent.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Without the feeling of a direct threat, many people were complacent about actually doing that.
—Teri Schultz, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
The British government should not get complacent, however.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacent
Cite this Entry
“Complacent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complacent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
complacent
adjective
com·pla·cent
kəm-ˈplās-ᵊnt
1
: marked by complacency : self-satisfied
a complacent smile
2
: feeling or showing complaisance
complacently
adverb
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