complaisance

noun

com·​plai·​sance kəm-ˈplā-sᵊn(t)s 

-zᵊn(t)s;

ˌkäm-plā-ˈzan(t)s,

-plə-,

-ˈzän(t)s

: disposition to please or comply : affability

Synonyms

• amenability
• amiability
• good-naturedness

Examples of complaisance in a Sentence

the complaisance of his girlfriend is such that she meekly goes along with everything he says

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet electing to be private doesn’t amount to complaisance or complicity. —Lesley M.m. Blume, Town & Country, 6 Dec. 2022

Sammy’s awareness of his mother’s infidelity, his father’s complaisance, and how both were relieved by his creative Boy Scout merit-badge projects and fantasies requires a separate article. —Armond White, National Review, 16 Nov. 2022

What is lost is the look of complaisance that defines young founders looking for capital. —Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 2 Mar. 2021

There are more emphatic reasons for the market’s complaisance. —Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

complaisance

noun

com·​plai·​sance kəm-ˈplās-ᵊn(t)s 

-ˈplāz-;

ˌkäm-plā-ˈzan(t)s

: a desire or willingness to please

complaisant

-ᵊnt

-ˈzant

adjective