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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

Caesar orders his friend to marry and divorce to satisfy dynastic imperatives, and forcibly adopts Agrippa’s children when it suits him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

It is uncertain whether that would satisfy the federal agencies probing potential wrongdoing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Unfortunately, your phone’s app is more likely to try to satisfy that latent desire than to force you to understand how complex weather modeling really is.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Arya said he thinks Nvidia’s stock looks cheap relative to its free-cash-flow profile, and he believes the company could satisfy investors by delivering more of its cash back to shareholders.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Baachan added to Hanako, “In Japan, we do not name our children same name as parent. But we very satisfy that your brother has his jiichan’s name.”

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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

"The decision satisfies me with regard to the violation of my private life," he told the BBC.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

It still satisfies you and, even better, it appears to serve you more than you serve it.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

Redlands school officials said the suspension of privileges will remain in place until a student satisfies certain conditions, such as attending a session of Saturday school or performing four hours of community service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

But this, standing outside Tyler’s window, satisfies nothing.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

The regulator's decision to clear the merger means it is satisfied it can go ahead in its current form.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

“We have satisfied all closing conditions under our merger agreement, having received regulatory clearances from 68 jurisdictions,” Paramount said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Choosing more water-rich, high-fiber plant foods may help people lower their calorie intake while still eating enough to feel satisfied.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

People who chatted with sycophantic AI reported being less satisfied with real-world human interactions, compared with those using non-sycophantic models, according to another study co-written by Cheng and published in June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

He'd never been satisfied with any job he'd held.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

When such provisions are included, participants may generally access non-Roth after-tax contributions and rollover contributions at any age without satisfying a qualifying event.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

“As satisfying as it may feel to some people to see Meta get socked by this, at the end of the day it’s going to come back and bite you.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

"He found it satisfying but frustrating at the same time. It was fiddly work, and frustrating work," Dr Henry said.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

This clever tale is most satisfying when Ms. McTiernan brings that painful conundrum to life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

It's fine to cure the leukemia sufferers but much more satisfying to imagine the parade of opportunists confounded by my refusal to cooperate.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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