complacency
noun
com·pla·cen·cy
kəm-ˈplā-sᵊn(t)-sē 
plural complacencies
1
: a calm sense of well-being and security : the quality or state of being satisfied
especially
: satisfaction or self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies
When it comes to safety, complacency can be dangerous.
… if he avoids the complacency that can accompany quick riches and celebrity—he could ripen into a world-class performer. —
Larry Dorman
Larry Dorman 2
: an instance of usually unaware or uninformed self-satisfaction
And I suggest that there's a complacency there that comes from success.—Alan Shepard, quoted in Yankee
Alan Shepard, quoted in YankeeExamples of complacency in a Sentence
He sees a dangerous sense of complacency about the U.S. stock market—where investors were emboldened after the 1998 downturn was followed by a resounding snapback.
—Bernard Wysocki, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 3 Aug. 1999
He spoke, however, with resignation, even complacency, rather than anguish.
—Harriet Ritvo, The Platypus and The Mermaid, 1997
… you say to yourself, "OK, why did it happen? Why did we make those bad engineering decisions we made in 1967 and 1986 with Challenger?" I'll tell you. It's the human element. And I suggest that there's a complacency there that comes from success.
—Alan Shepard, Yankee, October 1991
Tony Brace lived in Richmond, in circumstances of impeccable domestic content. Matthew and Susan had visited, in the early days of their marriage; driving home, they had mocked the décor and the connubial complacency.
—Penelope Lively, City Of The Mind, 1991
The public was lulled into complacency.
a momentary complacency that was quickly dispelled by the shock of cold reality
Bernard Wysocki, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 3 Aug. 1999
He spoke, however, with resignation, even complacency, rather than anguish.
—Harriet Ritvo, The Platypus and The Mermaid, 1997
… you say to yourself, "OK, why did it happen? Why did we make those bad engineering decisions we made in 1967 and 1986 with Challenger?" I'll tell you. It's the human element. And I suggest that there's a complacency there that comes from success.
—Alan Shepard, Yankee, October 1991
Tony Brace lived in Richmond, in circumstances of impeccable domestic content. Matthew and Susan had visited, in the early days of their marriage; driving home, they had mocked the décor and the connubial complacency.
—Penelope Lively, City Of The Mind, 1991
The public was lulled into complacency.
a momentary complacency that was quickly dispelled by the shock of cold reality
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet this tremendous achievement has led to complacency—and masked a new and growing hunger crisis.
—Arif Husain, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025
For Dimon, the danger is internal complacency.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
After a half-century in which energy was not a tool of statecraft, complacency set in.
—John Kerry, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
But life has a way of lulling you into complacency, and over time my eyes drifted less frequently to the sky.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacency
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Arif Husain, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025
For Dimon, the danger is internal complacency.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
After a half-century in which energy was not a tool of statecraft, complacency set in.
—John Kerry, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
But life has a way of lulling you into complacency, and over time my eyes drifted less frequently to the sky.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complacency
Cite this Entry
“Complacency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complacency. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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complacency
noun
com·pla·cen·cy
kəm-ˈplās-ᵊn-sē
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