The Difference Between Complacent and Complaisant

The Difference Between Complacent and Complaisant The Difference Between Complacent and Complaisant The Difference Between Complacent and Complaisant By Sharon Its easy to mix up these two words, but theres a world of difference in their meanings. Complacent means self: He felt complacent about his excellent examination results. Complaisant, on the other hand, means eager to please or obliging. An example of its use is: He had thought she might oppose him, but found that she was surprisingly complaisant. Here are some quotations from newspapers: announced Thursday along with other Council committee assignments for the next four years, as focused on prodding a â€Å"complacent bureaucracy† to better provide city services and dig â€Å"deep into the operational failures of city (www.nytimes.com) Coming from San Francisco, I had feared that I would find L.A. too complacent about healthcare issues that were important to me. After 20 years working in the San Francisco Health Department (www.latimes.com) In fact, the fast way to $100 a share is the kind of deep cost-cutting that this relatively complaisant company has never been known for. This includes, as an order of magnitude, what knowledgeable insiders report is a call to slice $100 million out of CNNs annual budget of nearly $750 million. USA Today Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)Running Amok or Running Amuck?When to use "an"