Thesaurus results for COMPLAISANT

Q: How is the word 'complaisant' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of complaisant are amiable , good-natured , and obliging . While all these words mean "having the desire or disposition to please," complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness. // was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

Q: In what contexts can 'amiable' take the place of 'complaisant'?

The words amiable and complaisant can be used in similar contexts, but amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with. // an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

Q: When could 'good-natured' be used to replace 'complaisant'?

The meanings of good-natured and complaisant largely overlap; however, good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon. // a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in

Q: When can 'obliging' be used instead of 'complaisant'?

The words obliging and complaisant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful. // our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

complaisant

adjective

Definition of complaisant next

as in gracious

formal willing or eager to please other people a complaisant young intern who happily accepted any task

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word complaisant distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of complaisant are amiable, good-natured, and obliging. While all these words mean "having the desire or disposition to please," complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.

was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

In what contexts can amiable take the place of complaisant?

The words amiable and complaisant can be used in similar contexts, but amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with.

an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

When could good-natured be used to replace complaisant?

The meanings of good-natured and complaisant largely overlap; however, good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon.

a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in

When can obliging be used instead of complaisant?

The words obliging and complaisant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.

our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

Example 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 complaisant However, Imperial County landowners and complaisant U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials ignored that limit, allowing rapid consolidation of land, says Andrés, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the county’s early years. —

Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023 Last month Ferrari lofted its banners over a resort near the southern port of Cagliari and invited journalists to test-drive the new Ferrari Roma Spider, taking advantage of the excellent tarmac, ideal weather and complaisant authorities. —

Dan Neil, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2023 Overall, the song feels like a deep analysis and reflection on the complaisant position men may take in love and relationships, giving us a track that reams out awful boyfriends and the mindless behavior of their partners who continue to allow them back into their lives to act this way. —

Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 21 May 2022 But Ohio shouldn’t get complaisant. —

Julie Washington, cleveland, 8 Apr. 2021 In each case, the man has an energetic wife who has continued making public appearances while her husband retreats behind a veil of discretion at which a complaisant press seems reluctant to tug. —

Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2023 Private institutional investors such as BlackRock and Vanguard tend to be more complaisant about CEO pay — except for European funds. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023 His admirers included such luminaries as U.S. Sen. Robert Wagner, all of whom turned a complaisant eye to the married Crater’s other life as a randy stage-door johnny with a mistress and a harem of chorus girls and Polly Adler hookers. —

Edward Kosner, WSJ, 20 June 2022 Administrations since have learned not to be so complaisant. —

WSJ, 20 May 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for complaisant

Adjective

Samia is quick to accept the break-up, even gracious.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
But this gracious view has been taken to the extreme by some Americans who view Russia as a benign actor that is either incapable, uninterested or unwilling to harm the American people.

— Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2025