Synonyms of complacence

complacence

noun

kəm-ˈplā-sᵊn(t)s 

1

as in vanity

an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements

the complacence of some of the rich kids at the exclusive private school

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vanity
• ego
• pridefulness
• pride
• complacency
• arrogance
• smugness
• self-satisfaction
• conceitedness
• superiority
• vainglory
• confidence
• egotism
• self-conceit
• pomposity
• vainness
• self-love
• pompousness
• self-importance
• assurance
• conceit
• amour propre
• self-congratulation
• swelled head
• self-admiration
• self-opinion
• vaingloriousness
• bighead
• self-glory
• self-esteem
• self-assumption
• swellheadedness
• self-assurance
• superciliousness
• self-confidence
• haughtiness
• self-righteousness
• hubris
• selfishness
• snobbishness
• imperiousness
• overconfidence
• presumption
• disdainfulness
• self-assertion
• lordliness
• egoism
• pretense
• pretension
• self-respect
• self-pride
• pretentiousness
• self-centeredness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• diffidence
• humbleness
• altruism
• timidity
• unselfishness
• passivity
• self-doubt
• shyness
• bashfulness
• passiveness
• self-loathing
• demureness
• self-disgust
• self-hate
• timidness

2

as in disregard

lack of interest or concern

someone who displayed a startling complacence toward his own financial plight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disregard
• indifference
• unconcern
• nonchalance
• apathy
• insouciance
• casualness
• disinterestedness
• incuriosity
• torpor
• carelessness
• recklessness
• lethargy
• incuriousness
• lukewarmness
• unawareness
• heedlessness
• tepidity
• coldness
• callousness
• tepidness
• detachment
• aloofness
• impassivity
• dispassion
• stoicism
• stolidity
• impassiveness
• halfheartedness
• insensitivity
• listlessness
• hardness
• callosity
• phlegm
• hard-heartedness
• bloodlessness
• cool

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• concern
• interest
• regard
• awareness
• attention
• curiosity
• attentiveness
• sensitivity
• keenness
• prejudice
• bias
• conscientiousness
• desire
• partiality
• zeal
• heedfulness
• warmth
• vehemence
• warmheartedness
• ardor
• passion
• fervency

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of complacence

Stuck here on the planet’s surface, our mundane perspective is rarely challenged, so seeing both our world and its lone natural satellite side by side is a rare gift, a jolt to our cosmic complacence. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2025

This flagrant exclusion of such a win-win prospect largely stems from the aversion many environmental activists have of any potential solution that might lead to complacence on aggregate consumption. — Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025

His Finnish homeland, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia, has not been afforded the luxury of complacence. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2025

The United States veered too far in the direction of complacence after the Cold War, discounting China and Russia’s competitive potential. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2022

But the rise and fall of Japan's chipmakers suggests that leaders of the industry today have no room for complacence. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 22 June 2021

But surely there must be a place for civil disobedience and protest that is sufficiently disruptive to rouse people from complacence. — Yochai Benkler, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2012