Synonyms of complaisant

complaisant

adjective

as in gracious

formal willing or eager to please other people

a complaisant young intern who happily accepted any task

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gracious
• friendly
• thoughtful
• amenable
• agreeable
• helpful
• accommodative
• obliging
• solicitous
• indulgent
• accommodating
• considerate
• lenient
• permissive
• overindulgent

Synonym Chooser

How is the word complaisant distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of complaisant are amiable, good-natured, and obliging. While all these words mean "having the desire or disposition to please," complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.

was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

In what contexts can amiable take the place of complaisant?

The words amiable and complaisant can be used in similar contexts, but amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with.

an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

When could good-natured be used to replace complaisant?

The meanings of good-natured and complaisant largely overlap; however, good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon.

a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in

When can obliging be used instead of complaisant?

The words obliging and complaisant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.

our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of complaisant

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

Administrations since have learned not to be so complaisant. —WSJ, 20 May 2022

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