complacency
Americannoun
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a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.
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Archaic.
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friendly civility; inclination to please; complaisance.
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a civil act.
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noun
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a feeling of satisfaction, esp extreme self-satisfaction; smugness
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an obsolete word for complaisance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of complacency
From the Medieval Latin word complacentia, dating back to 1635–45. See complacent, -cy
Explanation
The word complacency is often hurled, in a rather scornful manner, at people who are unwilling to be political. It connotes a sense of ease and contentment with the status quo. It is a rare thing to hear the word complacency used in a purely positive way; there's always a sense of scolding to it. At best it's used to convey a person's satisfaction: "Oh? No one asked you to the prom? I've been asked three times," she said with complacency. More commonly, however, it takes on a political tone, as with large bodies of people who are unwilling to protest corruption because it doesn't touch them: "He preached and argued, but it was impossible to jostle the students from their complacency."
Vocabulary lists containing complacency
The Great Gatsby
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Advanced English Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Congress, he clashed with Morena leaders, whom he accused of corruption and complacency.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The Iran conflict has seen some unusual complacency.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
This isn’t to say there is room for complacency in Europe.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
Former defence secretary and Nato chief Lord Robertson accused the government of "corrosive complacency" amid rising threats around the world.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
It is essential, then, to keep one's attention focused on the present; to guard against any complacency creeping in on account of what one may have achieved in the past.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
