complaisance

[ kuhm-pley-suhns, -zuhns, kom-pluh-zans ]
See synonyms for complaisance on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the quality of being complaisant.

Origin of complaisance

1
From French, dating back to 1645–55; see origin at complaisant, -ance

Other words from complaisance

  • non·com·plai·sance, noun
  • un·com·plai·sance, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use complaisance in a sentence

  • Edward mixed his early complaisances with disagreeable reminders.

    Sir William Wallace | A. F. Murison
  • What feebleness, what puerile complaisances this particular friendship may not be the source.

    Evelyn Innes | George Moore
  • I would have chosen reciprocal affection as its basis, and that my complaisances and attentions should flow from this source.

    Some Noble Sisters | Edmund Lee
  • They consoled one another for their long periods of chastity by alternate complaisances.

    Ancient Manners | Pierre Louys

British Dictionary definitions for complaisance

complaisance

/ (kəmˈpleɪzəns) /


noun
  1. deference to the wishes of others; willing compliance

  2. an act of willing compliance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012