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
That result and a 2-1 loss at Servette in a qualifier in August — Chelsea went 3-0 up on aggregate only to be punished, like the Legia game, for getting complacent — are the only Conference League games Maresca’s side have not won (out of 13).
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Once you are given that (star) label early on, some people get complacent.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2025
Perhaps the setup for Maryland basketball is mostly fine, and the chief takeaway is simply that university administrators can’t be complacent about their coach’s contentment given the financial and competitive complexities of modern college basketball.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
The German Energy Agency’s report also underlines that EU policy cannot be complacent and calls for incentives to foster more rapid take up including ending fossil fuel subsidies.
—Nick Nuttall, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacent
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Simon Johnson, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Once you are given that (star) label early on, some people get complacent.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2025
Perhaps the setup for Maryland basketball is mostly fine, and the chief takeaway is simply that university administrators can’t be complacent about their coach’s contentment given the financial and competitive complexities of modern college basketball.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
The German Energy Agency’s report also underlines that EU policy cannot be complacent and calls for incentives to foster more rapid take up including ending fossil fuel subsidies.
—Nick Nuttall, Forbes, 10 Mar. 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 9 May. 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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