Dictionary Entry
complacent
Part of SpeechadjectivePronunciation/kəmˈpleɪsənt/Word FrequencyCommon (4.3)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)Uncritically satisfied with oneself or one's achievements; smug.
In a Sentence
“The company became complacent after years of success, failing to innovate and losing market share.”
Published Usage Examples
“The next night, in the cabin up-river, after Miriam had left them alone to what she termed their complacent silence, Garry Devereau and Steve sat a long while before the former raised a face alight with his rare mirth.”
“As long as we remain complacent in the face of injustice ... it will continue with impunity.”
This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 12 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.
Origin
From Latin 'complacere', meaning 'to please greatly'.
Common Phrases
Synonyms
Poetry examples for “complacent”
Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.
Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.