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English expressions, clearly explained.

Complacent meaning, definition, and synonyms

complacent meaning photo

Complacent describessays what something is like or explains its meaning a person who is too pleased with themselves or too comfortablerelaxed and free from worry, pain, or difficulty with how things are, so they stop paying enough attentioncareful notice or focus given to something or effort.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Pronunciation

AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).

Accent: General American English

IPA: /kəmˈpleɪsənt/

Easy pronunciation: kuhm-PLAY-suhnt (approximate spelling).

Stress: Stress the second syllable: PLAY.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Complacent Meaning

too self-satisfied and not careful enough

Part of speech: adjective

Definition: Too pleased with yourself or with a situation, in a way that can lead to a lack of effort or awareness.

Example: After several easy wins, the team became complacent.

Synonyms for this meaning:

  • self-satisfied — A close match for the main sense of being too pleased with yourself.
  • self-complacent — A dictionary synonym, but less common in everyday usage.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Complacent Synonyms

Similar Meaning

  • self-satisfied
  • self-complacent

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Common Mistakes

  • Do not confuse complacent with complacency, which is the noun form.
  • Do not use complacent to mean simply calm or content unless the sense is specifically self-satisfied and overconfident.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does complacent mean in simple English?

It means too satisfied with yourself or a situation, so you stop trying hard or paying enough attention.

Is complacent a positive word?

Usually not. It often suggests too much self-satisfaction and not enough caution or effort.

What is a synonym for complacent?

A strong synonym is self-satisfied. Self-complacent is also a dictionary synonym, but it is less common.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Slang Words – Chatbot