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Showing results for gratifying. Search instead for prenotifying.
Synonyms

gratifying

American  
[grat-uh-fahy-ing] / ˈgræt əˌfaɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. tending to gratify; giving or causing satisfaction; pleasing.

gratifying British  
/ ˈɡrætɪˌfaɪɪŋ /

adjective

  1. giving one satisfaction or pleasure

"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

Usage

What are other ways to say gratifying?

Something that is gratifying gives or causes satisfaction. But calling something gratifying isn’t exactly the same as calling it pleasing or interesting. Find out why on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

  • gratifyingly adverb
  • nongratifying adjective
  • nongratifyingly adverb
  • ungratifying adjective

Etymology

Origin of gratifying

First recorded in 1605–15; gratify + -ing 2

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.

It’s very gratifying that something that’s this close to my heart has had such an amazing time.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

Her dad said watching her come out and transition has been gratifying, because “the smile came back, the light in her eyes came back.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

Rights groups called it a death sentence for the 78-year-old, whose family has raised concerns about his health, but Hong Kong's leader said it was "deeply gratifying".

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

But to see its empowering mania catch on with young girls in an era lousy with messages devaluing a woman’s worth is particularly gratifying.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

It was a very small but very gratifying triumph.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

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.