complacency

/kəmˈpleɪsnsi/

/kəmˈpleɪsɪnsi/

Other forms: complacencies

The word complacency is often hurled, in a rather scornful manner, at people who are unwilling to be political. It connotes a sense of ease and contentment with the status quo.

It is a rare thing to hear the word complacency used in a purely positive way; there's always a sense of scolding to it. At best it's used to convey a person's satisfaction: "Oh? No one asked you to the prom? I've been asked three times," she said with complacency. More commonly, however, it takes on a political tone, as with large bodies of people who are unwilling to protest corruption because it doesn't touch them: "He preached and argued, but it was impossible to jostle the students from their complacency."

Definitions of complacency

1. noun

   the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
   “his complacency was absolutely disgusting”

   synonyms: complacence, self-complacency, self-satisfaction

   types:

   smugness

   an excessive feeling of self-satisfaction

   type of:

   satisfaction

   the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation