First Known Use: 1650
Dictionary
complacency
noun com·pla·cen·cy \kəm-ˈplā-sən(t)-sē\
: a feeling of being satisfied with how things are and not wanting to try to make them better : a complacent feeling or condition
plural com·pla·cen·cies
Full Definition of COMPLACENCY
1
: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies
2
: an instance of usually unaware or uninformed self-satisfaction
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Examples of COMPLACENCY
- He sees a dangerous sense of complacency about the U.S. stock market—where investors were emboldened after the 1998 downturn was followed by a resounding snapback. —Bernard Wysocki, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 3 Aug. 1999
- He spoke, however, with resignation, even complacency, rather than anguish. —Harriet Ritvo, The Platypus and The Mermaid, 1997
- … you say to yourself, “OK, why did it happen? Why did we make those bad engineering decisions we made in 1967 and 1986 with Challenger?” I'll tell you. It's the human element. And I suggest that there's a complacency there that comes from success. —Alan Shepard, Yankee, October 1991
- Tony Brace lived in Richmond, in circumstances of impeccable domestic content. Matthew and Susan had visited, in the early days of their marriage; driving home, they had mocked the décor and the connubial complacency. —Penelope Lively, City Of The Mind, 1991
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Origin of COMPLACENCY
(see complacent)
Related to COMPLACENCY
- Synonyms
- amour propre, bighead, complacence, conceit, conceitedness, ego, egotism, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-admiration, self-assumption, self-conceit, self-congratulation, self-esteem, self-glory, self-importance, self-love, self-opinion, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, swellheadedness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity
- Antonyms
- humbleness, humility, modesty
COMPLACENCY Defined for Kids
complacency
noun com·pla·cen·cy \kəm-ˈplā-sən-sē\
Definition of COMPLACENCY for Kids
: a feeling of being satisfied with the way things are and not wanting to make them better
Learn More About COMPLACENCY
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