Standard Lemma guide

complacency

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəmˈpleɪsənˌsiː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 M P L EY1 S AH0 N S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A feeling of contented self-satisfaction, especially when unaware of upcoming trouble.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An instance of self-satisfaction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Passivity as a result of contentment with the current situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his complacency was absolutely disgusting

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: complacence, self-complacency, self-satisfaction

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: satisfaction

Narrower terms: smugness

History

Etymology

Late Middle English complacence, from Late Latin complacentia. Compare French complaisance.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 自滿 /自满 (zìmǎn) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Czech: samolibost — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Czech: sebeuspokojení — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Czech: uspokojení — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Dutch: zelfgenoegzaamheid — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Dutch: zelftevredenheid — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Esperanto: memkontento — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Finnish: mielihyvä — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Finnish: tyytyväisyys — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Finnish: itsetyytyväisyys — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • French: suffisance — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • German: Selbstgefälligkeit — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • German: Selbstzufriedenheit — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • German: Bequemlichkeit — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • German: Wohlbehagen — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Greek: εφησυχασμός (efisychasmós) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Greek: αυταρέσκεια (aftaréskeia) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Hungarian: önteltség — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Hungarian: önhittség — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Hungarian: önelégültség — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Hungarian: elégedettség — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Icelandic: sjálfumgleði — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Icelandic: sjálfsánægja — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Italian: autocompiacimento — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Italian: compiacimento — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Italian: autostima — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Norwegian Bokmål: selvtilfredshet — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Persian: خودرضامندی (xod-rezâ-mandi) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Polish: samozadowolenie — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Portuguese: desvanecimento — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Romanian: automulțumire — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Romanian: autoîncântare — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Russian: самодово́льство (samodovólʹstvo) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Russian: самоуве́ренность (samouvérennostʹ) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Scottish Gaelic: somaltachd — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Serbo-Croatian: samozadovoljstvo — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Spanish: suficiencia — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Spanish: autocomplacencia — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Swedish: självbelåtenhet — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Turkish: rehavet — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Ukrainian: самозадово́леність (samozadovólenistʹ) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • Ukrainian: самовдово́леність (samovdovólenistʹ) — feeling of self-satisfaction
  • French: complaisance — instance of self-satisfaction
  • Polish: samozadowolenie — instance of self-satisfaction