complacency
/kəmˈpleɪsənsi/kuhm-PLAY-suhn-see
/kəmˈpleɪsənsi/kuhm-PLAY-suhn-see
Meaningthe state of being well pleased
Common meaning: smug self-satisfaction
- comwith, together
- placto pleaseLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1382 · scan
- encynoun ending: the quality or state of
‘with, together’ + ‘to please’ → complacency
Journey through time
- Latinplaceō, placuī‘to please’
- Englishcomplacent‘smugly satisfied’
- Englishformed in English from complacentcomplacency‘smug self-satisfaction’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from complacent + -ency.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), COMPLACENT, p.125 · scan
Roots
- placeō, placuī Latin “to please”
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