Synonyms

satisfy

American

[sat-is-fahy] / ˈsæt ɪsˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); give full contentment to.

The hearty meal satisfied him.

Synonyms:

please, pacify, appease, gratify
to put an end to (a desire, want, need, etc.) by sufficient or ample provision.

The hearty meal satisfied his hunger.
to give assurance to; convince.

to satisfy oneself by investigation.

Synonyms:

persuade
to answer sufficiently, as an objection.
to solve or dispel, as a doubt.
to discharge fully (a debt, obligation, etc.).
to make reparation to or for.

to satisfy an offended person; to satisfy a wrong.
to pay (a creditor).
Mathematics.
1. to fulfill the requirements or conditions of.
  
  to satisfy a theorem.
2. (of a value of an unknown) to change (an equation) into an identity when substituted for the unknown: x = 2 satisfies 3 x = 6.

verb (used without object)

to give satisfaction.

satisfy British

/ ˈsætɪsˌfaɪ /

verb

(also intr) to fulfil the desires or needs of (a person)
to provide amply for (a need or desire)
to relieve of doubt; convince
to dispel (a doubt)
to make reparation to or for
to discharge or pay off (a debt) to (a creditor)
to fulfil the requirements of; comply with

you must satisfy the terms of your lease
maths logic to fulfil the conditions of (a theorem, assumption, etc); to yield a truth by substitution of the given value

x = 3 satisfies x² – 4x + 3 = 0

"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

Synonym Usage

Satisfy, content refer to meeting one's desires or wishes. To satisfy is to meet to the full one's wants, expectations, etc.: to satisfy a desire to travel. To content is to give enough to keep one from being disposed to find fault or complain: to content oneself with a moderate meal.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of satisfy

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English satisfien, from Middle French satisfier, from unattested Vulgar Latin satisficāre (for Latin satisfacere “to do enough”; see satisfaction); see -fy

Explanation

To satisfy is to fulfill or meet a want, need, requirement, or expectation. A brilliant paper on Edgar Allan Poe might satisfy a literature class requirement, and a candy bar might satisfy a craving for chocolate. Since there are so many things we need and want, there are lots of ways to satisfy us. Eating a sandwich will satisfy your hunger. Overhearing a conversation could satisfy your curiosity. Going to school should satisfy your desire for knowledge. In college, you'll have to take certain classes to satisfy requirements of your degree. The word comes from the Latin satisfacere, which basically means “do enough.”

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing satisfy

Power Suffix: -fy

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

satisfy satisfies satisfied satisfying

While the numbers might seem impressive, they might not be enough to satisfy the sky-high expectations investors have priced into the AI boom.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

The crisis erupted when several funds were unable to satisfy investor redemption demands.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

But other fairly savvy users among tech mavens don’t point to urgent needs that only Muse can satisfy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

To satisfy the demand, many department stores and specialty-apparel retailers seeking to boost sales are finding partners to deliver their goods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

I was, of course, sorry there was so much poverty and disease in Haiti, and I admired Farmer for his work, but I also felt that I couldn’t be sorry enough to satisfy him.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Gregg, Mandery writes, “created the bedrock principles of modern death penalty jurisprudence: that a non-arbitrary death penalty satisfies the Constitution and that the requirement of non-arbitrariness could be satisfied by Georgia’s approach.”

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

“I know they’re thinking very, very seriously about how to manage the ticket activity so that it satisfies everybody,” Sykes said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

"The decision satisfies me with regard to the violation of my private life," he told the BBC.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

It still satisfies you and, even better, it appears to serve you more than you serve it.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

“I have thought of many possible theories, but not one that really satisfies me.”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

“Not quite satisfied with how things shaped up on the pitching side at the end of the year,” Ohtani said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The open-enrollment period is an important time for all beneficiaries, even those satisfied with their insurance plans.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sales within J&J’s medical-device business came in below Wall Street estimates and executives said they weren’t satisfied with the results.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Noah said he approached his work from a committed non-partisan lens: It was not for him to question the legal changes, only to implement them in a way that satisfied voters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Khrushchev drove out to his dacha that evening, drained and satisfied.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

That said, “in our view this does not make for a particularly satisfying equity market bear case,” as AI will deliver a payoff over a longer time horizon, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

"As an experimentalist, one of the most satisfying things is when several independent measurements begin to tell the same story," Zhu said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

“War,” premiering Thursday on HBO, is the satisfying story of a divorce, or rather the prelude to a divorce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

It isn’t that industry pros need to abandon their hard-won, valuable and hopefully satisfying expertise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

He don’t say nothing to that, which is satisfying.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023