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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

It means the unknown absorber must either be extremely effective at absorbing light, exist at a very high concentration inside the droplets, or satisfy both conditions.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Warsh didn’t say what, exactly, would satisfy him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

"When the number finally arrived, it was larger than the original commitment but still too small to satisfy a market already choking on duration."

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Beyond these, there are plenty more treasures to satisfy Rockwell fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

To satisfy them, I pulled Lissa’s thick red sweatshirt over my head and followed her and MacDuff outside.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Done in that order, the QCD satisfies part of the RMD without adding a dollar to AGI, leaving more headroom under the Medicare surcharge tier before conversion income stacks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 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

“I have thought of many possible theories, but not one that really satisfies me.”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

I turned out to be that guy, and I’m satisfied with my two girls.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Nor is he satisfied with regularly televised Oval Office events, where he surrounds himself with administration officials singing hosannas to his greatness.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has reviewed CalMac's report and indicated that it is satisfied with the firm's remedial action.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Right now, the administration appears satisfied with some form of statis.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Grandmother said that if a lion or a leopard tasted someone’s tears, it would never be satisfied until it got the whole person.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

But there is a satisfying specificity to the humor, especially as involves Asian American culture, gay life, New York City and New York City gay Asian American life, which is not overexplained.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

He said he felt a huge responsibility to the show's fans to give them a satisfying ending.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Absent soft August data, holding in September would put him back where July left him, explaining a decision without a satisfying rationale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

But the thrill of getting a small, albeit satisfying lick back against a corporation is only one part of the fun.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

I roam the hospital, checking off treatments on my app halfheartedly and going through the motions of my regimen, just like I’m supposed to, but it doesn’t feel as satisfying.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

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