gratify

[grat-uh-fahy]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gratify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing.

to give pleasure to (a person or persons) by satisfying desires or humoring inclinations or feelings: Her praise will gratify all who worked so hard to earn it.

to satisfy; indulge; humor, as one's desires or appetites.

Obsolete. to reward; remunerate.

Origin of gratify

1350–1400; Middle English gratifien < Latin grātificāre, equivalent to grāt(us) pleasing + -i- -i- + -ficāre -fy

Related formsgrat·i·fi·a·ble, adjectivegrat·i·fi·ed·ly

[grat-uh-fahy-id-lee, -fahyd-] /ˈgræt əˌfaɪ ɪd li, -ˌfaɪd-/, adverbgrat·i·fi·er, nouno·ver·grat·i·fy, verb (used with object), o·ver·grat·i·fied, o·ver·grat·i·fy·ing.pre·grat·i·fy, verb (used with object), pre·grat·i·fied, pre·grat·i·fy·ing.su·per·grat·i·fy, verb (used with object), su·per·grat·i·fied, su·per·grat·i·fy·ing.un·grat·i·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·grat·i·fied, adjectivewell-grat·i·fied, adjective

Can be confusedgrateful gratified (see synonym study at grateful)

Synonyms for gratify

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gratify ON THESAURUS.COM

1. please, delight, gladden. 1, 2. See humor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gratify

delight, enchant, please, thrill, baby, humor, pamper, favor, oblige, appease, content, gladden, recompense, indulge, requite, fulfill, coddle, arride, delectate

Examples from the Web for gratify

Contemporary Examples of gratify

Most of the meddlers in our lives do it to gratify their own egos or because they mistakenly believe they are helping.
America’s Meddlers Are Our Worst Enemies
Stefan Beck
October 3, 2014

Historical Examples of gratify

I then repelled that curiosity, for my mind was not in a situation to gratify it.
The Works of Whittier, Volume V (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
It would be a poor thing to gratify a prejudice against him.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Why should we cultivate talents merely to gratify the caprice of tyrants?
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
I did not feel disposed to gratify her curiosity, and said I did not know yet what I should do.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
But you see Sir Peter adores me so that he hastens to gratify my smallest wish.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill

British Dictionary definitions for gratify

gratify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to satisfy or please

to yield to or indulge (a desire, whim, etc)

obsolete to reward

Derived Formsgratifier, noun

Word Origin for gratify

C16: from Latin grātificārī to do a favour to, from grātus grateful + facere to make

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

Word Origin and History for gratify

c.1400, "to bestow grace upon;" 1530s, "to show gratitude to," from French gratifier (16c.) or directly from Latin gratificari "to do favor to, oblige, gratify," from gratus "pleasing" (see grace) + root of facere "make, do, perform" (see factitious). Meaning "to give pleasure to" is from 1560s. Related: Gratified; gratifying.