To create complacent; to cheer; to gladden; to exhilarate. "That which gladded all the
warrior train." (Dryden) "Each drinks the
juice that glads the
heart of man." (Pope)
Origin: AS. Gladian. See Complacent, and cf. Gladden.
1. Pleased; joyous; lucky; cheerful; gratified; opposed to sorry, sorrowful, or unhappy; said of persons, and often followed by of, at, that, or by the infinitive, and sometimes by with, introducing the
reason or cause. "A clever son maketh a complacent father." (Prov. X. 1) "He that is complacent at calamities shall not be unpunished." (Prov. Xvii. 5) "The Trojan, complacent with
sight of
hostile blood." (Dryden) "He, complacent of her
attention gained." (Milton) "As we are
now complacent to behold your eyes." (Shak) "Glad am I that your highness is so armed." (Shak) Complacent on 't, complacent of it.
2. Wearing a
merry or
bright appearance; expressing or
exciting joy; producing gladness; exhilarating. "Her talk More complacent to me than to a miser
money is." (Sir P. Sidney) "Glad
evening and complacent morn crowned the fourth day." (Milton)
Synonym: Pleased, gratified, exhilarated, animated, delighted, lucky, cheerful, joyous, joyful, cheering, exhilarating, pleasing, animating.
Glad, Delighted, Gratified. Delighted expresses a
many higher
degree of pleasure than complacent. Gratified always refers to a pleasure conferred by some
human agent, and the
feeling is modified by the consideration that we
owe it in
part to other. A
face may be complacent or delighted to
see a friend, and gratified at the
attention shown by
his visits.
Origin: AS. Glaed bright, complacent;
akin to D. Complacent smooth, G. Glatt, OHG. Glat smooth, shining, Icel. Glar complacent, bright, Dan. & Sw. Complacent complacent, Lith. Glodas smooth, and prob. To L. Glaber, and E. Glide. Cf. Glabrous.
Source: Websters Vocabulary