Complacency

//kəmˈpleɪsənˌsiː// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A feeling of contented self-satisfaction, especially when unaware of upcoming trouble. countable, uncountable

    "Others proclaim the infirmities of a great man with satisfaction and complacency, if they discover none of the like in themselves."

  2. 2
    the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself wordnet
  3. 3
    An instance of self-satisfaction. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    Passivity as a result of contentment with the current situation. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
aimataraxiaautoeroticismcomplacenceconceitconsequence

Example

More examples

"The average Westerner, in his sleek complacency, will see in the tea ceremony but another instance of the thousand and one oddities which constitute the quaintness and childishness of the East to him."

Etymology

Late Middle English complacence, from Late Latin complacentia. Compare French complaisance.

Related phrases

automation complacencyself-complacencyself satisfaction

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.