1
2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of complacent But, at a time when the legislative branch has been shamefully supine and the public has been alarmingly complacent, the federal courts represent the last best hope—at least, until the midterm elections—of combatting Trump’s outrages against the Constitution. Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 Alligators are quite common in Florida, but Spencer urges others not to get complacent. Rachel Raposas, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025 Though May 11 — the date Mother’s Day falls on this year — might seem lightyears away, don’t grow too complacent and make the all-too-common mistake of forgetting to secure Mom, or the mother figure in your life, a gift until the very last moment. Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2025 That refusal to be complacent is the reason Ragans is here, the Royals’ Opening Day starter, the fourth-place finisher in the Cy Young race and a trendy pick to win the award this year. Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for complacent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complacent
Adjective
  • The Heat and Grizzlies gave the people nonchalant regular-season basketball, and got thrown out the club as a result.
    The Athletic NBA Staff, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • But despite his nonchalant vibe, Poulter is completely locked in, never distracted by the frequent comings and goings around us.
    Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Everyone’s relationship has, yes, seasons, and each couple weathers a few different ones during the show, with smug closeness eroding into terse bitterness, doting affection into resentful frustration.
    Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 1 May 2025
  • Dissections of power and masculinity that once bristled with adversarial vitality evolved into arid dialectics and windy anecdotes pickled in smug cynicism and lacking in thematic clarity.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The assault is alleged to have taken place in June at 2 Sisters 4 Brothers Restaurant and Lounge, a casual eatery and dance venue in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 3 May 2025
  • The show, with its journalistically murky blend of news and casual banter, serves the administration’s needs in a few ways, the report suggested.
    Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are proud of the state of stoner comedy.
    Angela Andaloro, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • The proud regionality of Italy is one such example and this book shows it off beautifully.
    Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • The targets of Trump’s economic aggression will accept greater hardship to preserve their dignity than American voters will for the privilege of acting like arrogant menaces.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
  • This feud carries on today, with Hogan having called out Hart for being too arrogant.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • For Ueda, the fear is that his two-year effort to end Japan’s deflation-era rate policies will have been in vain.
    William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The film brought in $4.1 mil over the weekend, so Charles Melton did not shave Kit Connor in vain.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • And for any fan of the show — and Wilson’s over-the-top, egotistical Dwight — the lyrics might not be a total surprise.
    Victoria Edel, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • In the 1998 episode, Theroux, 53, appears briefly as an egotistical writer who flirts with Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw at a party.
    John Russell, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • But Smith was confident that a solution could be found.
    Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • And while forever seems like a big word, Duritz feels confident that the band will be with us for quite a while longer.
    Gary Graff, Billboard, 9 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complacent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complacent. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on complacent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!