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.
Source: tatoeba (638876)
Complacency
/kəmˈpleɪsənˌsiː/
Synonyms for "complacency" (19 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (4)
Noun(2 words)
Strong matches (6)
Noun(2 words)
Related words (9)
Noun(3 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: complacence, self-satisfaction, aim, autoeroticism, conceit.
- Sentence evidence is available for complacency, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "complacency".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "complacency"
Keep "complacency" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "complacency" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "complacency", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "complacency" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
4 entriesMore specific
5 entriescultural complacencyeconomic complacencyeducational complacencypolitical complacencyprofessional complacency
Collocations
6 entriescultural complacencyeducational complacencymoral complacencypolitical complacencyprofessional complacencyself-satisfaction
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
41 translations across 23 languages.
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 自滿 /自满 noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Czech
3 entries- samolibost noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- sebeuspokojení noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- uspokojení noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Dutch
2 entries- zelfgenoegzaamheid noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- zelftevredenheid noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Esperanto
1 entries- memkontento noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Finnish
3 entries- itsetyytyväisyys noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- mielihyvä noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- tyytyväisyys noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
French
1 entries- suffisance noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
German
4 entries- Bequemlichkeit noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- Selbstgefälligkeit noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- Selbstzufriedenheit noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- Wohlbehagen noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Greek
1 entries- εφησυχασμός noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Hungarian
4 entries- elégedettség noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- önelégültség noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- önhittség noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- önteltség noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Icelandic
2 entries- sjálfsánægja noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- sjálfumgleði noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Italian
3 entries- autocompiacimento noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- autostima noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- compiacimento noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- selvtilfredshet noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Persian
1 entries- خودرضامندی noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Polish
1 entries- samozadowolenie noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Portuguese
1 entries- desvanecimento noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Romanian
2 entries- automulțumire noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- autoîncântare noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Russian
2 entries- самодово́льство noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- самоуве́ренность noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- somaltachd noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- samozadovoljstvo noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Spanish
2 entries- autocomplacencia noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- suficiencia noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Swedish
1 entries- självbelåtenhet noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Turkish
1 entries- rehavet noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Ukrainian
2 entries- самовдово́леність noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
- самозадово́леність noun (feeling of self-satisfaction)
Sample sentences
12 total sentences available.
His complacency won't make him many friends.
Source: tatoeba (1402718)
All economic problems would be solved, if they made complacency taxable.
Source: tatoeba (2932644)
If indifference is the kiss of death for a relationship, then complacency is the kiss of death for a business.
Source: tatoeba (4587367)
Showing 4 of 12 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "complacency"?
Closest matches include complacence, self-satisfaction, aim, autoeroticism, conceit.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "complacency"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.