complacent
adjective
com·pla·cent
kəm-ˈplā-sᵊnt 
1
: marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies : marked by complacency : self-satisfied
a complacent smile
2
: complaisant sense 1
complacent flattery
3
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
What Companies Like About Their Cloud Service While executives put vendor reputation further down the list of priorities when shopping for cloud services, that doesn’t mean sellers should be complacent.
—Forbes Research, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Neither a complacent, neutered Congress nor a Supreme Court controlled by lifelong GOP partisan operatives appear willing or able to stop it.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
From Joan of Arc to Cassidy Hutchinson, whenever men have proven too cautious, cowardly or complacent to act, women have had the courage to do the right thing.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
What made the two particularly complacent was their extraordinary political muscle, especially Fannie Mae’s.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacent
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Forbes Research, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Neither a complacent, neutered Congress nor a Supreme Court controlled by lifelong GOP partisan operatives appear willing or able to stop it.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
From Joan of Arc to Cassidy Hutchinson, whenever men have proven too cautious, cowardly or complacent to act, women have had the courage to do the right thing.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
What made the two particularly complacent was their extraordinary political muscle, especially Fannie Mae’s.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 24 July 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 20 Aug. 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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