as in gracious
formal
willing or eager to please other people
a complaisant young intern who happily accepted any task
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of complaisant
And would require a fully complaisant leader in Iran.
—
Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Most casual chatbot users might be forgiven for finding their interlocutor banal or complaisant.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
In this frigid state, electrons become complaisant enough to forgo their usual resistance and flow frictionlessly.
—Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025
Now, each time is like this, complaisant, Emil pretending to be only half awake.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Every day, Congress and the media stand by in complaisant silence that tells the rest of the world we U.S. citizens cannot be trusted to elect prudent leaders.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
However, Imperial County landowners and complaisant U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials ignored that limit, allowing rapid consolidation of land, says Andrés, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the county’s early years.
—Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023
Last month Ferrari lofted its banners over a resort near the southern port of Cagliari and invited journalists to test-drive the new Ferrari Roma Spider, taking advantage of the excellent tarmac, ideal weather and complaisant authorities.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2023
Overall, the song feels like a deep analysis and reflection on the complaisant position men may take in love and relationships, giving us a track that reams out awful boyfriends and the mindless behavior of their partners who continue to allow them back into their lives to act this way.
—Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 21 May 2022
Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Most casual chatbot users might be forgiven for finding their interlocutor banal or complaisant.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
In this frigid state, electrons become complaisant enough to forgo their usual resistance and flow frictionlessly.
—Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025
Now, each time is like this, complaisant, Emil pretending to be only half awake.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Every day, Congress and the media stand by in complaisant silence that tells the rest of the world we U.S. citizens cannot be trusted to elect prudent leaders.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
However, Imperial County landowners and complaisant U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials ignored that limit, allowing rapid consolidation of land, says Andrés, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the county’s early years.
—Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023
Last month Ferrari lofted its banners over a resort near the southern port of Cagliari and invited journalists to test-drive the new Ferrari Roma Spider, taking advantage of the excellent tarmac, ideal weather and complaisant authorities.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2023
Overall, the song feels like a deep analysis and reflection on the complaisant position men may take in love and relationships, giving us a track that reams out awful boyfriends and the mindless behavior of their partners who continue to allow them back into their lives to act this way.
—Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 21 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complaisant
Adjective
-
The architecture reflects that stately sensibility, with a classic Colonial Revival facade that gives way to interiors scaled for both gracious entertaining and relaxed family living.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Polished, gracious — with a shadow just beneath the surface.—
Merle Ginsberg,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The shows are accompanied by similar drops in ad revenue and increasing production costs, an ongoing shift to digital viewership, political constraints and publicity-friendly interview questions.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Putin presided over a parade that featured hardware such as the Geran-2, the Russian version of Iran’s Shahed drone, and played host to friendly leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Most importantly, playing prominent roles alongside a respected veteran and thoughtful mentor in Zibanejad really seemed to propel the young wingers, who finished the season by combining for 43 points (24 for Lafrenière and 19 for Perreault) in the final 23 games.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
August 23 – September 22 One thoughtful move today creates real momentum.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The service Staff are relaxed, friendly, and highly amenable—no request is too outlandish.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Among its more iconic designs is the Traveller jacket, made from a lightweight shell fabric amenable to overheated airports or rainy city days.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
OpenAI tunes ChatGPT to be broadly helpful and agreeable.—
Tamilla Triantoro,
The Conversation,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Large language models are trained, in part, on human feedback, and humans tend to prefer agreeable responses.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Complaisant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complaisant. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
