1
as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements
the complacence of some of the rich kids at the exclusive private school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disregard
lack of interest or concern
someone who displayed a startling complacence toward his own financial plight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of complacence
But surely there must be a place for civil disobedience and protest that is sufficiently disruptive to rouse people from complacence.
—
Yochai Benkler, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2012
The campaign used Ivancie’s complacence.
—oregonlive, 1 Feb. 2022
Overwhelming military strength encouraged complacence.
—T.h. Breen, The New York Review of Books, 2 Feb. 2023
The United States veered too far in the direction of complacence after the Cold War, discounting China and Russia’s competitive potential.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2022
But the rise and fall of Japan's chipmakers suggests that leaders of the industry today have no room for complacence.
—Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 22 June 2021
His complacence is more nauseating than his weakness.
—Katherine Dunn, The New Yorker, 4 May 2020
There's been a lot of years of complacence from a lot of people who thought everything was OK but weren't really listening to what was going on and what wasn't OK.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2019
That sort of complacence doesn't cut it with consumers in China, where the big three telecom providers are expected to roll out 5G networks in most major cities by the end of this year.
—Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2019
Yochai Benkler, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2012
The campaign used Ivancie’s complacence.
—oregonlive, 1 Feb. 2022
Overwhelming military strength encouraged complacence.
—T.h. Breen, The New York Review of Books, 2 Feb. 2023
The United States veered too far in the direction of complacence after the Cold War, discounting China and Russia’s competitive potential.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2022
But the rise and fall of Japan's chipmakers suggests that leaders of the industry today have no room for complacence.
—Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 22 June 2021
His complacence is more nauseating than his weakness.
—Katherine Dunn, The New Yorker, 4 May 2020
There's been a lot of years of complacence from a lot of people who thought everything was OK but weren't really listening to what was going on and what wasn't OK.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2019
That sort of complacence doesn't cut it with consumers in China, where the big three telecom providers are expected to roll out 5G networks in most major cities by the end of this year.
—Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complacence
Noun
-
Its bathroom has a walk-in shower and a vanity with a marble counter.Angela Serratore, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
-
In one photo, a 7-year-old Eilish smiles happily in front of a birthday cake designed to look like a vanity.Rachel DeSantis, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Still, their disregard for the details in such a key moment highlighted the state of their recent play.Jay King, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
-
If the way Adams has handled the migrant shelter issue is any evidence of his mismanagement and ineptitude on the issue, his intention to work with Tom Homan is only evidence for his continued disregard of the humanity of our newest New Yorkers.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
There is no solution easily at hand because the usual sports complications of money and ego are in play.Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Jan. 2025
-
Any of those guys to come here and submit to the program and put your ego aside and go for team glory?Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
One day after a clip of Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley ripping JJ Redick went viral, the Lakers coach issued his own rebuttal — with indifference.Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
-
But Assad’s fall (and Russia’s indifference to the collapse of his regime) suggests that concern for Syria or any other client state has been subjugated by Putin to his overriding focus on dealing Ukraine a decisive defeat.Alexander Baunov, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Close takes pride in how her squad pivots to unexpected challenges and perseveres.Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
-
But in terms of pride, that was a very important time for our people.Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
To jolt them out of their complacency, the solar industry came to rely on one of the oldest—and most annoying—sales techniques: indiscriminately banging on doors.Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025
-
While Detroit is playing its best basketball in seven years, both its coach and franchise player are forbidding complacency.Hunter Patterson, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
That arrogance and overconfidence lead to hubris, which clouds their ability to see things clearly.Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024
-
If Nietzsche was right, altruism comes from selfishness, humility from arrogance, love from hate.Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near complacence
Cite this Entry
“Complacence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complacence. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share