complaisant
UK/kәm'pleizәnt/US
GREC2
Definitions
adj.
Willing to please others and go along with their wishes; obliging, sometimes submissively so.
殷勤的，谦恭的；（有时含贬义地）顺从的，曲意逢迎的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedSame root as complacent, but routed back through French complaire ('to please'), keeping the -s- spelling. complaisant means eager to please *others* — obliging, accommodating — the opposite direction from complacent (pleased with oneself).
Root plac still carries 14 more wordsExample Sentences
- 1.
The complaisant clerk agreed to every request without question.
- 2.
She was too complaisant to ever voice a disagreement.
Easily Confused
complaisant vs complacent — Same root, opposite directions. complaisant = eager to please others (obliging). complacent = pleased with yourself (smug). complaisant is rare and formal; if you mean self-satisfied, you want complacent, not this word.