as in gracious
formal
willing or eager to please other people
a complaisant young intern who happily accepted any task
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Recent Examples of complaisant
Every day, Congress and the media stand by in complaisant silence that tells the rest of the world we U.S. citizens cannot be trusted to elect prudent leaders.
—
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
However, Imperial County landowners and complaisant U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials ignored that limit, allowing rapid consolidation of land, says Andrés, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the county’s early years.
—Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023
Last month Ferrari lofted its banners over a resort near the southern port of Cagliari and invited journalists to test-drive the new Ferrari Roma Spider, taking advantage of the excellent tarmac, ideal weather and complaisant authorities.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2023
Overall, the song feels like a deep analysis and reflection on the complaisant position men may take in love and relationships, giving us a track that reams out awful boyfriends and the mindless behavior of their partners who continue to allow them back into their lives to act this way.
—Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 21 May 2022
But Ohio shouldn’t get complaisant.
—Julie Washington, cleveland, 8 Apr. 2021
In each case, the man has an energetic wife who has continued making public appearances while her husband retreats behind a veil of discretion at which a complaisant press seems reluctant to tug.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2023
Private institutional investors such as BlackRock and Vanguard tend to be more complaisant about CEO pay — except for European funds.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023
His admirers included such luminaries as U.S. Sen. Robert Wagner, all of whom turned a complaisant eye to the married Crater’s other life as a randy stage-door johnny with a mistress and a harem of chorus girls and Polly Adler hookers.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 20 June 2022
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
However, Imperial County landowners and complaisant U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials ignored that limit, allowing rapid consolidation of land, says Andrés, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the county’s early years.
—Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023
Last month Ferrari lofted its banners over a resort near the southern port of Cagliari and invited journalists to test-drive the new Ferrari Roma Spider, taking advantage of the excellent tarmac, ideal weather and complaisant authorities.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2023
Overall, the song feels like a deep analysis and reflection on the complaisant position men may take in love and relationships, giving us a track that reams out awful boyfriends and the mindless behavior of their partners who continue to allow them back into their lives to act this way.
—Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 21 May 2022
But Ohio shouldn’t get complaisant.
—Julie Washington, cleveland, 8 Apr. 2021
In each case, the man has an energetic wife who has continued making public appearances while her husband retreats behind a veil of discretion at which a complaisant press seems reluctant to tug.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2023
Private institutional investors such as BlackRock and Vanguard tend to be more complaisant about CEO pay — except for European funds.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023
His admirers included such luminaries as U.S. Sen. Robert Wagner, all of whom turned a complaisant eye to the married Crater’s other life as a randy stage-door johnny with a mistress and a harem of chorus girls and Polly Adler hookers.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 20 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complaisant
Adjective
-
The man was gifted, gracious, often generous and seldom mean-spirited.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
10 July 2025
-
But goodness gracious, the Rockies are only (14-36) under Schaeffer after going 7-33 under Black.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
But if oil prices remain middling, even friendly policies might not compel companies to significantly ramp up drilling.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
Instead of an origin story, Peter is thrown into the stressful situation of navigating high school life, being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and crushing on the daughter of Michael Keaton's villainous Vulture.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
While plaintiff opposition reflects legitimate concerns, these can be addressed with thoughtful defense strategies.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
With thoughtful policy and community input, towns can balance the need for homes with the imperative to protect the natural spaces that define their landscape and legacy.—
John Emmanuel,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
From the sounds of it, the scenarios to watch are either a needle-moving free agent or a trade with a team that is successful in free agency and needs to move a player off the roster for cap reasons, becoming more amenable to taking back futures.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
29 June 2025
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For such a waive-and-conversion move to work, Johnson would have to clear waivers and then be amenable to a two-way deal that would halve his salary.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
The 2026 and 2027 races, the prior contract negotiated by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, would be held on mutually agreeable dates.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
-
Photo shoot shall be scheduled at a mutually agreeable time as determined between Sponsor and the Grand Prize winner.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complaisant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complaisant. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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