complacent
- 01 C1 Advanced
feeling so satisfied with your own success that you stop trying to work hard or improve.
uncritically satisfied with oneself or one's achievements; often implies a smug or lazy attitude toward further progress.
Simple“The team became complacent after winning three games and lost the final match.”
In context“Success in the first quarter made the sales team complacent, leading them to ignore emerging competitors until their market share began to dwindle.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'about' or 'in'.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse this with 'complaisant' (willing to please others). 'Complacent' is much more common and usually has a negative tone regarding laziness or overconfidence.
PitfallHe was complacent with his new job. He was complacent about his new job.Use the preposition 'about' to describe the situation you are too relaxed or satisfied with.
- 02 C1 Advanced
not worried enough about a problem or danger because you think everything is fine.
unduly unworried or apathetic regarding a potential need, problem, or threat.
Simple“We cannot be complacent about climate change; we must act now.”
In context“The government was accused of being complacent about the aging infrastructure, failing to authorize repairs until the bridge actually collapsed.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is frequently used in political or safety contexts to describe a dangerous lack of preparation.
Synonyms
“She added: “Small boats numbers are also now falling, but we are not complacent and there is more we must do.” Meanwhile, Burnham visited Wales, his first trip there since becoming prime minister.”
“And I grow more confident, not complacent, but more confident by the day that we're going to be able to take back the Senate as well.”
Borrowed from Latin complacēns (“very pleasing”), present participle of complacēre (“to please at the same time, be very pleasing”), from com- (“together”) + placēre (“to please”); see please and compare complaisant.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.