Synonyms

satisfy

American

[sat-is-fahy] / ˈsæt ɪsˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); give full contentment to.

The hearty meal satisfied him.

Synonyms:

please, pacify, appease, gratify
to put an end to (a desire, want, need, etc.) by sufficient or ample provision.

The hearty meal satisfied his hunger.
to give assurance to; convince.

to satisfy oneself by investigation.

Synonyms:

persuade
to answer sufficiently, as an objection.
to solve or dispel, as a doubt.
to discharge fully (a debt, obligation, etc.).
to make reparation to or for.

to satisfy an offended person; to satisfy a wrong.
to pay (a creditor).
Mathematics.
1. to fulfill the requirements or conditions of.
  
  to satisfy a theorem.
2. (of a value of an unknown) to change (an equation) into an identity when substituted for the unknown: x = 2 satisfies 3 x = 6.

verb (used without object)

to give satisfaction.

satisfy British

/ ˈsætɪsˌfaɪ /

verb

(also intr) to fulfil the desires or needs of (a person)
to provide amply for (a need or desire)
to relieve of doubt; convince
to dispel (a doubt)
to make reparation to or for
to discharge or pay off (a debt) to (a creditor)
to fulfil the requirements of; comply with

you must satisfy the terms of your lease
maths logic to fulfil the conditions of (a theorem, assumption, etc); to yield a truth by substitution of the given value

x = 3 satisfies x² – 4x + 3 = 0

"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

Synonym Usage

Satisfy, content refer to meeting one's desires or wishes. To satisfy is to meet to the full one's wants, expectations, etc.: to satisfy a desire to travel. To content is to give enough to keep one from being disposed to find fault or complain: to content oneself with a moderate meal.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of satisfy

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English satisfien, from Middle French satisfier, from unattested Vulgar Latin satisficāre (for Latin satisfacere “to do enough”; see satisfaction); see -fy

Explanation

To satisfy is to fulfill or meet a want, need, requirement, or expectation. A brilliant paper on Edgar Allan Poe might satisfy a literature class requirement, and a candy bar might satisfy a craving for chocolate. Since there are so many things we need and want, there are lots of ways to satisfy us. Eating a sandwich will satisfy your hunger. Overhearing a conversation could satisfy your curiosity. Going to school should satisfy your desire for knowledge. In college, you'll have to take certain classes to satisfy requirements of your degree. The word comes from the Latin satisfacere, which basically means “do enough.”

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Vocabulary lists containing satisfy

Power Suffix: -fy

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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:

satisfy satisfies satisfied satisfying

So a big bag of mini candies may only satisfy 30 kids, by her reasoning.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Ramaswamy stumbled for a moment, responding that legal immigrants were still cool, which failed to satisfy the heckler.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026

The scandal emerged when several funds were unable to satisfy redemption demands.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

And having done so, might she obscure the fact by concocting a slight, barely clever fiction and satisfy her vanity by sending it off to a magazine?

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Zelensky is trying to strike a solution that satisfies all sides to avoid divisions in the face of the ongoing invasion.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Gregg, Mandery writes, “created the bedrock principles of modern death penalty jurisprudence: that a non-arbitrary death penalty satisfies the Constitution and that the requirement of non-arbitrariness could be satisfied by Georgia’s approach.”

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

There is no easy solution, no clean resolution that satisfies ideology.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

The delicate diplomatic effort is being led by Michael Needham, a senior state department official who has been tasked with crafting a deal that satisfies Trump while also respecting Denmark's redlines around protecting its borders.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

It takes you to a dark place, but, man, it satisfies a thirst.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

But he failed to improve on his final lap and had to be satisfied fight sixth.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Especially when surveyed about it: What are you supposed to say when asked by a pollster, “Are you satisfied with the Democratic Party?”

From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2026

Forty-nine-year-old Sachiko Iyokawa also appeared satisfied with her winnings: two boxes of premium eggs, cheaper than in supermarkets.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

As the CEO of Isomorphic, he isn’t satisfied by simple progress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Finally, the pixies flew away through the trees, either satisfied that they had punished me enough or tired of the dirt.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Asked which is more satisfying, a touchdown or an interception, she adamantly chose the latter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

For example, if the shortest possible route between two locations is 10 kilometers, an estimate satisfying this guarantee would fall between 10 and 20 kilometers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Doran, for one, notes that when you return to a favourite old game, there's something satisfying about deploying previously learned skills.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

He does, in very satisfying style, shut down the grandsons of Hitler’s beloved Richard Wagner, who hope he will help them to revive their grandfather’s Bayreuth Festival.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

A more satisfying ending, in both stories and music, is usually provided by giving clues that an end is coming, and then ending in a commonly-accepted way.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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