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

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

2

: unconcerned

False alarms, or warnings where no tornado follows, can make people complacent.

—Melissa Gaskill

3

: complaisant sense 1

complacent flattery

complacently adverb

Synonyms of complacent

• nonchalant
• casual

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

While one team is obsessed with their new coach, Clemson seemed complacent. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026

That can lead to leaders and teams missing crucial observations, becoming complacent and losing competitive advantages. — Brandi Watterson, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Bueckers talked about what the team’s mindset has to be, saying that the players have to stay focused and disciplined while not getting complacent. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

But neither country can afford to be complacent in its lead in AI hardware, said Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang, the institute’s executive director. — John Liu, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin complacent-, complacens, present participle of complacēre to please greatly, from com- + placēre to please — more at please

First Known Use

1767, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for complacent

• adjacent
• complaisant
• subjacent
• nascent

Kids 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