as in gracious
formal
willing or eager to please other people
a complaisant young intern who happily accepted any task
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complaisant
Adjective
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Perry was also quite gracious when another fan in the crowd handed her an album to sign.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
14 May 2025
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And yet when people need a portal into or proxy for spiritual awakening, Alice Coltrane’s music often becomes integral, a newfound household name, because her staggered textures are gracious enough to accommodate both the ascetic and the philistine.—
Harmony Holiday,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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During public remarks in 2022, Justice Elena Kagan – one of the court’s three liberal justices − spoke out against sweeping injunctions and the ability of challengers to find one friendly judge to issue such an order.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
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Hussain has a friendly, reassuring presence, making the already-simple recipes even less intimidating.—
Katie Rife,
EW.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Practice, Practice, Practice One of the ways that the greats prepare themselves for the biggest moments is through thoughtful preparation.—
Karl Moore,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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Tesfaye’s bold and electric presence onstage and onscreen is an intriguing counterpoint to the thoughtful and soft-spoken man who sits for a chat about his movie.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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According to team sources, the Lakers will be amenable to whatever contract structure Dončić desires.—
Jovan Buha,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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California, the rare state with conditions amenable to olive-growing, produces less than 2 percent of the olive oil that Americans consume.—
Rachel Sugar,
The Atlantic,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The weekend meeting will offer one of the first signals of whether the two sides see a mutually agreeable way forward.—
Colin Meyn,
The Hill,
9 May 2025
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Hollywood’s effect on NASCAR is positive NASCAR has been historically agreeable with Hollywood when the creative types want to make a movie.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complaisant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complaisant. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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