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
  • My accommodations unfolded in a graceful series of rooms with couches, a four-poster bed, and a dual-vanity bathroom.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Franchise values have compounded at 13% a year for more than six decades as team ownership evolved from a vanity project into an asset class.
    — Robert Gray, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The definition further added that neglect should involve blatant disregard of parental responsibilities resulting in a real, significant and imminent risk of harm to the child.
    — Jennifer L. Brinkley, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The film, based on interviews with 24 anonymous members of Israeli military intelligence and soldiers, accuses Israel of callous disregard for Palestinian civilian life in its war in Gaza.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Both teams now limp into Saturday's game in Austin with bruised bodies and egos, and carrying a whiff of desperation for a win to keep the season from unraveling.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Did that feel like a parody of my ego, or also a way to make fun of it?
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • For arrivals willing to submit to the experimental, ever-evolving social structure, and to the limitations that were placed on newcomers, the technologically superior Eiquans professed an indifference that amounted to a willing welcome.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Conversely, an indifference to this tightening may invoke memories of Powell's 2018 'auto-pilot' remarks in reference to that tightening episode.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Some will say past results don’t matter, but many of TCU’s veterans are used to beating Baylor and take pride it in.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the reputation that surrounded them, there was humor, loyalty, and pride.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • But Libertad underscores that there is far too much at stake in Puerto Rico at this moment for the band to operate from a place of complacency.
    — Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • An America that seeks justice with dignity and wisdom, not arrogance and gore.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 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 24 Oct. 2026.

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