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

That’s the risk Washington is not pricing into its complacency. — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026

All this should be understood not as a reason for complacency but as a rationale for further action. — Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026

None of this is irreversible, which is precisely why the CDC’s complacency is so hard to forgive. — A.j. Russo, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026

And the fact that the Fever couldn’t match the Wings’ desperation served as another lesson in limiting complacency. — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026