complacent

adjective

com·pla·cent kəm-ˈplā-sᵊnt

: marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies : marked by complacency : self-satisfied

a complacent smile

: complaisant sense 1

complacent flattery

: unconcerned

complacently adverb

Examples of complacent in a Sentence

… I gazed at my mother's poised, beautiful profile as her face turned from side to side, calm or complacent, accepting what the route offered. —

Donald Hall, Atlantic, October 1996

Mr. Davis organized his second great quintet in the mid-60's, but by then jazz had taken a new turn and many felt he had become passé, a complacent peacock. —

Gary Giddins, New York Times Book Review, 15 Oct. 1989

… he hopes to break through the reader's complacent indifference, make him aware of his predicament, and force him to take sides. —

Monroe K. Spears, American Ambitions, 1987

Lord Lathkill … was so completely unostentatious, so very willing to pay all the attention to me, and yet so subtly complacent, so unquestionably sure of his position. —

D. H. Lawrence, The Complete Short Stories Volume III, (1922) 1981

The strong economy has made people complacent. We have grown too complacent over the years. We can't afford to be complacent about illiteracy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Despite such dominance, Kent Redfield, political professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Springfield, said Democrats should not become complacent. —

Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 16 Dec. 2024 Getting complacent with leads is reminiscent of last season’s lowlights — the weaknesses that looked behind Golden State during its 12-3 start. —

Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2024 This could be a similar circumstance and the aerospace and defense industry should not be complacent. —

Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 Critics say that drivers who assume their Tesla can operate safely and with total autonomy tend to become complacent or distracted — and then fail to take manual control when necessary. —

Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for complacent