complaisant

From French complaisant (“willing to please”), from complaire, from Latin complacēre (“please well”), from com- (“with”) + placeō (“please”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpleɪsənt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpleɪsənt/, /kəmˈpleɪzənt/
• Homophone: complacent

complaisant (comparative more complaisant, superlative most complaisant)

1. Compliant.
2. Willing to do what pleases others; obliging; agreeable.

   Synonym: amenable

   Coordinate term: (stronger and more negative) obsequious

   • 2015 May 12, Rachel Platten, Jon Levine, Scott Jacoby, “Congratulations”, in Fight Song‎^[1], performed by Rachel Platten:

     Replay our conversation
     You threw your accusations
     I'm always so complaisant
     I never change the station

3. (archaic) Polite; showing respect.
   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Country Described. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag), pages 222–223:

     The People who had often heard of me, were very curious to croud about the Sedan, and the Girl was complaiſant enough to make the Bearers ſtop, and to take me in her Hand that I might be conveniently ſeen.

• Complaisant (and its noun complaisance) should not be confused with complacent (or its noun complacency).

• complaisance

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.plɛ.zɑ̃/ ~ /kɔ̃.ple.zɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

complaisant

1. present participle of complaire

complaisant (feminine complaisante, masculine plural complaisants, feminine plural complaisantes)

1. complaisant, obliging, eager to please

• mari complaisant

• “complaisant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.