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Are "complaisance" and "complacence" antonyms?

I am not even quite sure about the meanings but somehow I deduces they are. Here's what I thought: someone complacent seems like someone indifferent, who ingages in his own business and in his own indulgences, whereas, complaisant seems to be somebody friendly, someone who tends to please others....

Thanks in advance!

Julielai · Accepted Answer

Complacent: having too high an opinion of oneself

Complaisant: Exhibiting a desire to please

They don't seem to be antonyms, Maverick.

Just my two cents.

Maverick88 · Answer

Hey there

My dictionary defines the former as what you wrote or someone indifferent, maybe even narcissist. The latter term seems to be the opposite - someone who doesn't focus on his own desires but on the needs of others. What do you think?

Julielai · Answer

I checked AskOxford this time:

Complacent: smug and uncritically satisfied with oneself or one’s achievements

Complaisant: willing to please others or to accept their behaviour without protest.

Also: complacent, 'smug and self-satisfied', with complaisant, which means 'willing to please'.

Source: http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/classicerrors/confused/?view=uk

Maverick88 · Answer

OK I get you I suppose...They're not sheer antonyms but their meanings are rather opposed to each other...Complacence is the result of the antonym of complaisance. What do you think of this relation?

MrPedantic · Answer

I'm not so sure.

You can be complacent about your own complaisance.

MrP

Maverick88 · Answer

OK so what's wrong with that, Mr.P?

It doesn't matter what you're complacent about (IMHO), the point is that you are. You can be also complacent about your own complacence about the complaisance of your friend... But this complacence is still a result of the antonym of complaisance. Am I wrong?

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello Mav

Let's say you're an Inland Revenue helpdesk official in the GLASGOW office.

MrP calls you with a relatively simple query. Usually, of course, an Inland Revenue helpdesk official in the GLASGOW office will make the answer as absurd, inconsistent, and downright incomprehensible as possible. That's his job, after all. He's on a 'helpdesk', after all, isn't he? (In the GLASGOW office.)

But not you. You are willing to help MrP. You agree to everything he suggests, even though he is quite rude at first and shouts once or twice. You answer his question in simple, effective English. His interpretation of 'legitimate expenses' is wholly correct. You suggest other useful deductions that MrP might make. You even propose a full rebate. MrP begins to weep.

In short, you are 'complaisant'. Later, at home, you think back on your day. You feel particularly pleased about the way you handled MrP. You look in the mirror and say to yourself, you did pretty well there, Mav. In short, you are complacent about your complaisance.

Now the antonym would mean "unwilling to please others or to accept their behaviour without protest". So in this instance, you couldn't really say that "this complacence was still a result of the antonym of complaisance".

MrP

PS Did I mention the location of the tax office? It was in GLASGOW, if anybody's wondering.

Maverick88 · Answer

Hey, Mr.P., as usual you have your brilliant clarifications

Thank you I got the point

MrPedantic · Answer

You're welcome, Mav!

Let's hope some of those Scottish 'Revenue Maximisation Officers' did too...

MrP

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