complacency — a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements
Pronunciation (IPA): /kəmˈpleɪsənsi/
Example Sentences
- After winning the lottery, his complacency made him forget that money doesn't last forever.
- The company's complacency about cybersecurity turned into panic when hackers stole all their pizza recipes.
- Students often develop academic complacency after getting good grades without studying hard.
complacency
NOUN[/kəmˈpleɪsənsi/]
a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements
After one big win, the team relaxed into complacency and stopped practicing hard.
His complacency shows a tendency toward dangerous dependency
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin complacere, meaning 'to please greatly' or 'to satisfy'. Originally denoting a state of contentment, the word evolved over time to acquire a distinctly negative connotation, referring to self-satisfaction that causes one to lose vigilance or critical awareness.
Breakdown
com- (together, thoroughly) + placere (to please) + -ency (noun suffix denoting state or condition). The suffix -ency transforms the verb into an abstract noun indicating a persistent state of complacent satisfaction.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“After winning the lottery, his complacency made him forget that money doesn't last forever.”
“The company's complacency about cybersecurity turned into panic when hackers stole all their pizza recipes.”
“Students often develop academic complacency after getting good grades without studying hard.”
“The cat's complacency about the new puppy ended when it discovered the dog had eaten its favorite toy.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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