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

Why did the Eddie Murphy who had positively ruled in the ’80s end up taking a back seat to a Murphy who was a far more complacent talent? —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025

This past summer, Mobley refused to become complacent even after his best season yet, coming off the heels of signing a five-year, $224 million extension with the Cavs in 2024. —Mirin Fader, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

That being said, this matchup could still pose the banana peel head coach Mike Elko has thus far avoided if the team is in any way complacent. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025

This is not the time to be complacent or quiet. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025

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