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GRE vocabulary

complacent

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore C words

smugly satisfied and unaware of potential dangers

Word origin: From Latin complacere, to please greatly (com- intensive plus placere to please).

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In a sentence

Complacent in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing complacent in a sentence.

Years of easy profits had made the company dangerously complacent.

Years of easy profits left the firm complacent and unprepared for the downturn.

Synonyms
smugself-satisfiedunconcerneduntroubled
Antonyms
vigilantanxiousconcerned

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The professor's lectures were notoriously blank; students often left more puzzled than when they had arrived, unable to follow his tangled chains of reasoning.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “complacent” well

Complacent means smugly self-satisfied and blind to lurking dangers. Do not confuse it with complaisant, a look-alike meaning eager to please.

Common questions

Questions about “complacent”

Complacent (adjective) means smugly satisfied and unaware of potential dangers
Here is complacent used in an example sentence: "Years of easy profits had made the company dangerously complacent." Another example: "Years of easy profits left the firm complacent and unprepared for the downturn."
Common synonyms for complacent include smug, self-satisfied, unconcerned, untroubled.
Antonyms of complacent include vigilant, anxious, concerned.
Complacent clusters with smug, self-satisfied, unconcerned, and untroubled. Its antonyms vigilant, anxious, and concerned mark the alert-context answers; watch the complaisant trap.
Yes. Complacent is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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