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complacent

[ kuhm-pley-suhnt ]
/ kəmˈpleɪ sənt /
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adjective
pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied: The voters are too complacent to change the government.
agreeable and eager to please.
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Origin of complacent

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin complacent- (stem of complacēns, present participle of complacēre “to take the fancy of, please,” equivalent to com- “with, together, completely” (see com-) + placēre “to seem good” (see please)

OTHER WORDS FROM complacent

com·pla·cent·ly, adverbnon·com·pla·cent, adjectiveo·ver·com·pla·cent, adjectiveun·com·pla·cent, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH complacent

complacent , complaisant, compliant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for complacent

complacent
/ (kəmˈpleɪsənt) /

adjective
pleased or satisfied, esp extremely self-satisfied
an obsolete word for complaisant

Derived forms of complacent

complacently, adverb

Word Origin for complacent

C17: from Latin complacēns very pleasing, from complacēre to be most agreeable to, from com- (intensive) + placēre to please
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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