Synonyms of complacency

complacency

noun

kəm-ˈplā-sᵊn(t)-sē 

as in vanity

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

a momentary complacency that was quickly dispelled by the shock of cold reality

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of complacency

The complacency that has developed around the huge disruption of oil flows in the last five months should not be carried into the months ahead. — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

But Kyne cautions against complacency, as bycatch in fisheries, expanding agricultural development and proposals to extract freshwater from northern rivers continue to threaten the nursery habitats young sawfish depend on. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026