complacent
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Latin complacēns (“very pleasing”), present participle of complacēre (“to please at the same time, be very pleasing”), from com- (“together”) + placēre (“to please”); see please and compare complaisant.
Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]complacent (comparative more complacent, superlative most complacent)
- Uncritically satisfied with oneself or one's achievements; smug.
- He grew complacent as the years rolled on and the money rolled in.
- 2021 June 29, Phil McNulty, “England 2-0 Germany”, in BBC Sport[1]:
- England will feel confident but not complacent against Ukraine, and the shock exit of France to Switzerland shows no-one can be taken lightly.
- Unduly unworried or apathetic with regard to a need or problem.
- He tried to paint his audience as complacent, yelling that if they weren't mad as hell then they weren't paying enough attention.
Usage notes
[edit]- Complacent should not be confused with its homophone, complaisant.
Synonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]uncritically satisfied with oneself or one's achievements
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Further reading
[edit]- “complacent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “complacent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
Latin
[edit]Verb
[edit]complacent
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