complacently

[ kuhm-pley-suhnt-lee ]

adverb

1. in a pleased or self-satisfied way, often without awareness of some potential danger or defect:

   We are all part of the system that perpetuates these injustices, and we must not stand complacently by.

2. in a pleasant or compliant way:

   The frog in the pot, unaware of the threat, simply sits complacently until he boils.

Other Words From

• non·com·pla·cent·ly adverb
• o·ver·com·pla·cent·ly adverb
• un·com·pla·cent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of complacently¹

complacent ( def ) + -ly