1
as in nonchalant
having or showing a lack of interest or concern
the auditors were taken aback by his complacent response to their findings of fraud
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a complacent junior exec who was certain of his indispensability to the company
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of complacent
Preserving artifacts and retelling the stories of shipwrecks keeps the memories of the victims alive, Horn said, and in learning the stories people across Michigan may continue to memorialize their lives by never growing complacent on the waters of the Great Lakes.
—
Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The complacent faces of phony mediums swirl in my head, along with unsettling spirit photographs and images of puppies that had died with a sudden yelp for no apparent reason.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Without the feeling of a direct threat, many people were complacent about actually doing that.
—Teri Schultz, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
The British government should not get complacent, however.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacent
Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The complacent faces of phony mediums swirl in my head, along with unsettling spirit photographs and images of puppies that had died with a sudden yelp for no apparent reason.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Without the feeling of a direct threat, many people were complacent about actually doing that.
—Teri Schultz, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
The British government should not get complacent, however.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complacent
Adjective
-
Her nonchalant, soft-glam is so perfectly mesmerizing, my TikTok and social media feeds are flooded with tutorials trying to re-create her signature style.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
-
One fictional and the other real, the drug lords look nonchalant.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
But that poem is no smug cliché.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Last week, former Marni creative director Francesco Risso was appointed creative director of casual wear brand GU, which is owned by Uniqlo’s Japanese parent company Fast Retailing.—
Maliha Shoaib,
Vogue,
13 Jan. 2026
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Bagail 8-piece Packing Cube Set While dress codes during the day skew casual on board a ship, passengers do like to dress up at night, which means the pressure is on to pull together a classy outfit that’s not on repeat.—
Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
South Florida sports history is proud to have been the host for Crump’s barrier-busting history.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The Big Ten is marching into the heart of Southern football with a proud swagger, daring any conference to challenge its claim as the power to beat in the College Football Playoff.—
Charles Odum,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
A lot of people who are that level of arrogant, there’s also an immense insecurity, right?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The boy is arrogant, Helen thinks.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Complacent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complacent. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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