gratifying

American

[grat-uh-fahy-ing] / ˈgræt əˌfaɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

tending to gratify; giving or causing satisfaction; pleasing.

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.

What began as a way to embellish college entrance applications has become a gratifying life experience for the teens as well as the elementary school students.

From Los Angeles Times

"But obviously it's infinite and very mysterious so I don't think I get the understanding I'm looking for but the process is really gratifying," he adds.

From BBC

Sondheim’s were instead tamed by his art, Okrent suggests, which shaped his “textured, contradictory, troubling, and gratifying life.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From MarketWatch

What could be more gratifying than feeling superior to a couple of grownups?

From The Wall Street Journal

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