gratification
Americannoun
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the act of gratifying or the state of being gratified
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something that gratifies
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an obsolete word for gratuity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gratification
First recorded in 1590–1600, gratification is from the Latin word grātificātiōn- (stem of grātificātiō ). See gratify, -ation
Explanation
Pleasure is gratification, whether it’s given or received. Everyone has desires, and when those desires get fulfilled, that’s gratification. You’re reading this sentence to understand the word gratification, and soon you’ll know it back and forth, which will give you a feeling of gratification. The word comes from the Latin gratificari, meaning “give or do as a favor,” and a deeper root is gratus, which means “pleasing, thankful.” Doing a favor for someone is a surefire ways to create a sense of gratification, both for them and for yourself, being such a kind, giving person.
Vocabulary lists containing gratification
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Trumps
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Excerpt from "The Philosophy of Literary Form" by Kenneth Burke
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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:
In a world of instant gratification, it teaches perseverance through early practices and aching muscles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
I do believe very much in delayed gratification.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The diminishing returns of instant gratification might explain why catalogs are nearly always, according to trade publications and business journals, on the verge of a renaissance.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
“Instant gratification doesn’t have to run your life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
We were permitted newspapers and read with gratification of the waves of indignation aroused by our arrests.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Such support can come with deprivations as well as gratifications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
It is taking individual responsibility rather than indulging in the fleeting gratifications of individualism.
From Salon ● May 14, 2023
In addition, Afzal had allegedly given gratifications totalling about $165,000 to other individuals on multiple occasions as “inducements or rewards for them to place orders with KPI for the supply of bunker fuel.”
From Reuters ● Oct. 20, 2021
This kind of "caring" requires such little effort -- and the social gratifications are so instant -- that those quick, easy, cynical dismissals seem fair, penny for penny.
From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2017
It was also stimulated by the ease with which public sentiment extorted the means for these gratifications from the richer citizens.
From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Samuel Dill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
