Word: complacent (adjective)

Associations

"Complacent" means feeling so satisfied with yourself or your situation that you do not try to improve or change anything, even if there might be problems or dangers.

• When someone is complacent at work, they might stop trying to learn new skills. This can cause them to fall behind.
• A person might be complacent about their health if they ignore advice to eat better or exercise.
• In safety situations, being complacent can be dangerous because people might ignore risks. A well-known synonym is "self-satisfied," but "complacent" usually has a negative meaning, implying too much satisfaction that stops improvement or awareness.

Substitution

You can replace "complacent" with:

• "self-satisfied" (but this is less negative)
• "unconcerned" (meaning not worried, but less about satisfaction)
• "content" (more neutral, just means happy with the situation) Using these words changes the tone:
• "Complacent" suggests a problem because of too much satisfaction.
• "Content" is more positive, just being happy.

Deconstruction

The word "complacent" comes from Latin:

• Root: "placere" means "to please."
• Prefix: "com-" means "with" or "together."
• Suffix: "-ent" turns the verb into an adjective. So, "complacent" means "pleased with oneself," which explains why it describes someone who is too satisfied.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when being complacent might cause problems?
• How is being complacent different from being confident?
• Have you ever felt complacent about something? What happened?