verb
-
to fill or supply beyond capacity or desire, often arousing weariness
-
to supply to satisfaction or capacity
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of satiate
1400–50; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin satiātus (past participle of satiāre to satisfy), equivalent to sati- enough (akin to sad ) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
If you just can't get enough popcorn, even the jumbo tub at the movie theater may not be enough to satiate, or satisfy, your desire. Satiate is often used in situations in which a thirst, craving, or need is satisfied. However, when satiate is used to describe eating, it can take on a more negative, or even disgusted, tone. If you comment that the diners at the world's largest all-you-can eat buffet were satiated, you might not mean that they were merely satisfied. You could be implying that they've been gluttons, and that they are now overstuffed with fried chicken wings and mac and cheese.
Vocabulary lists containing satiate
Frankenstein
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Grade 11, List 1
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The Scarlet Letter
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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.
Documentaries are a dime a dozen in the streaming era because they’re cheaper to produce, so while they satiate the appetite for true stories, not all can be deemed good.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
Chances are, within walking distance, there will be something to satiate you for the time being, even if you’re getting it from a machine.
From Slate • Feb. 1, 2025
Do some children have to die in order to satiate our desire for data?
From Salon • Jan. 17, 2024
The data underlined the need for much more serious fiscal spending but Beijing seems in no hurry to satiate market wishes this time.
From Reuters • Jul. 17, 2023
Guarding the girls’ privacy meant finding other ways to satiate the public’s curiosity about our family.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
