Gary Spetz's Blog
June 5, 2015
Complaisant?
"Searching for Alpha Centauri" is billed as "A humorous and poignant tale of three complaisant kids, two stormy parents, one anxious French poodle, and too many U-haul trailers—told against the backdrop of the turbulent early 1960s.
Much editing discussion had gone into the use of the not-so-common word "complaisant," as it is so easily confused with (and sounds the same as) "complacent." Yet, they are two very different words and meanings.
The intent, of course, was to say in one word, "eager to go along with" or "eager to comply." "Obliging" was a distant second choice, but it just did not feel like the right word.
Should one avoid using a word like "complaisant" simply because it is not common and often confused for another?
Much editing discussion had gone into the use of the not-so-common word "complaisant," as it is so easily confused with (and sounds the same as) "complacent." Yet, they are two very different words and meanings.
The intent, of course, was to say in one word, "eager to go along with" or "eager to comply." "Obliging" was a distant second choice, but it just did not feel like the right word.
Should one avoid using a word like "complaisant" simply because it is not common and often confused for another?
