Definition of complacencenext
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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complacence
Noun
  • This looks snug and has a flushing toilet, a vanity sink, a shower, and a washer/dryer.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But his work has likely been on your neck, your vanity, your partner or your ex.
    — Arabelle Sicardi, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In addition, the jury found the two deputies acted with reckless disregard and awarded $10 million in punitive damages.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Waititi’s the opposite of a detailed world-builder, which can be a good quality — his joyful disregard is what made his first Thor film so enjoyable.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Let’s set your ego at the door and figure out what’s going on with just some of the techniques that happened today.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s presidency seems rooted in a policy du jour mindset which responds first and foremost to pleasuring his insatiable ego.
    — Kevin Igoe, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The point goes to your colleague, although Miss Manners is inclined to take back half for his indifference to social convention.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Worse still is cruelty at a level Americans can’t stomach; separation of families, outright brutality against women and the elderly, deaths by indifference, even murder.
    — Michael Kiefer, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Employees got into the Duke fun, too, showing a sense of pride in the character and its relationship to their home base.
    — Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Some still believe in the system or feel genuine national pride.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Jackson is sounding the alarm over sluggish early voting across deep-red rural Georgia, warning that complacency in GOP strongholds could jeopardize his bid for governor.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • His household becomes a microcosm of a broader societal moral decay, fuelled by detachment, indifference, corruption, complacency and the pursuit of comfort.
    — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • McVay and Snead have effectively built a culture of arrogance.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • These fascinating, illuminating episodes raise the question of whether great fiction requires the kind of single-mindedness and even arrogance that McCarthy cultivated.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Complacence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complacence. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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