| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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3. Word Choice: New Uses, Common Confusion, and Constraints
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| § 67. complacent / complaisant |
| These words sound the same and are often confused. Complacent means “overly contented, self-satisfied,” as in After making a string of successes, the film director grew complacent. The trouble arises in that complacent can also mean “eager to please,” which is what complaisant means: We were taken on a tour by an energetic and complaisant guide. If you want to avoid the risk of being misunderstood, use complacent in the “contented” sense only. | 1 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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