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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

In his funny and touching reflection on his childhood, Baker explains that he was trying to satisfy his mother, who insisted that her son “make something” of himself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

While the numbers might seem impressive, they might not be enough to satisfy the sky-high expectations investors have priced into the AI boom.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

The crisis erupted when several funds were unable to satisfy investor redemption demands.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

But other fairly savvy users among tech mavens don’t point to urgent needs that only Muse can satisfy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

“I rather hope to satisfy you both,” said Emma, “for I shall do all in my power to make them happy, which will be enough for Isabella; and happiness must preclude false indulgence and physic.”

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

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

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

The businesses say only when “the material satisfies rigid and arbitrary regulatory criteria set by the state” are they able to inform consumers their packaging is recyclable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

The music washed over her and filled her with the kind of sadness that satisfies the heart the way a good meal satisfies the belly.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

“Not quite satisfied with how things shaped up on the pitching side at the end of the year,” Ohtani said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The open-enrollment period is an important time for all beneficiaries, even those satisfied with their insurance plans.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Mr. Gilbert recounts how he and another colleague at the production company struggled to revise Messrs. David and Seinfeld’s pilot script, a contentious process that satisfied no one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"We are satisfied that the fear of a likely reimposition of such a restrictive TPIM, and its possibly never-ending nature, had a significant impact on the mental state of Akhtar in prison."

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“There,” said the old man, sitting back on his heels with a satisfied smile.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

That said, “in our view this does not make for a particularly satisfying equity market bear case,” as AI will deliver a payoff over a longer time horizon, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Don’t pick or pop your pimples, no matter how strong the urge or how satisfying it might be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

"As an experimentalist, one of the most satisfying things is when several independent measurements begin to tell the same story," Zhu said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

But the goal has been somewhat attenuated lately by media fragmentation, with today’s nerds satisfying their curiosity on forums largely disconnected from mainstream audiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

I found it satisfying to solve all of those equations, like they were puzzles.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

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