Meanings
present singular third person satisfies · participle present satisfying · participle past satisfied · past satisfied
- ambitransitiveTo be enough (for)
That brief explanation will never satisfy.
2 more examples
Death shall […] with us two / Be forced to satisfy his ravenous maw.
1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLCNow think of all the years you tried to Find someone to satisfy you I might be as crazy as you say If I'm crazy then it's true That it's all because of you And you wouldn't want me any other way
1980 March 7, Billy Joel, “You May Be Right”, in Glass Houses - transitivelawTo answer or discharge (a claim, debt, legal demand, etc.); to give compensation for.
to satisfy a claim or an execution
- transitivehuman sciencesTo cause (a sentence) to be true when the sentence is interpreted in one's universe.
The complex numbers satisfy #92;existsx#58;x²#43;1#61;0.
- datedliterarytransitiveTo convince by ascertaining; to free from doubt.
The Siamese officer and the Consul having satisfied themselves of the honest intentions of the applicant, will assist him...
1856, “Treaty signed April 18, 1855; ratified April 5, 1856”, in Treaty of friendship and commerce between Great Britain and Siam, Bangkok: J. H. Chandler, page 91 more example
I was resolved to satisfy myself whether this ragged Elijah was really dogging us or not, and with that intent crossed the way with Queequeg, and on that side of it retraced our steps.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 19, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of “meet needs, fulfill”
More synonyms by meaning
verbmeet the requirements or expectations of
verbfill, satisfy or meet a want or need or condition or restriction
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsatisfacerep
- Old Frenchsatisfier
- Middle Englishsatisfyen
- Englishsatisfy
From Middle English satisfyen, satisfien, from Old French satisfiier, satisfier (also Old French satisfaire), from Latin satisfacere, from satis (“enough, sufficient”) + faciō (“to make; to do”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κορέννυμι
- κορέννυμι (korénnumi)to be enough (for)
Arabic رَضَّى
- رَضَّى (raḍḍā)to be enough (for)
Bulgarian изплащам, изплатя
- изплащам (izplaštam)to pay to the extent of what is claimed or due
- изплатя (izplatja)to pay to the extent of what is claimed or due
- изпълнявам (izpălnjavam)mathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- изпълня (izpălnja)mathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- уверявам (uverjavam)dated, literary: to free from doubt
- уверя (uverja)dated, literary: to free from doubt
- удовлетворя́вам (udovletvorjávam)to be enough (for)
- удовлетворя́ (udovletvorjá)to be enough (for)
- задоволя́вам (zadovoljávam)to be enough (for)
- задоволя́ (zadovoljá)to be enough (for)
Catalan satisfer
- satisferto be enough (for)
Chinese Mandarin 滿足 /满足
- 滿足 /满足 (mǎnzú)to be enough (for)
Czech uspokojovat, uspokojit
- uspokojovatto be enough (for)
- uspokojitto be enough (for)
- vyhovovatto be enough (for)
- vyhovětto be enough (for)
Danish tilfredsstille
- tilfredsstilleto be enough (for)
Dutch vervullen, voldoen aan
- vervullenmathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- voldoen aanmathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- voldoento be enough (for)
- voldoende zijnto be enough (for)
- bevredigento be enough (for)
Esperanto kontentigi
- kontentigito be enough (for)
Finnish maksaa velkansa, tyydyttää
- maksaa velkansato pay to the extent of what is claimed or due
- tyydyttääto be enough (for)
- olla tyytyväinento be enough (for)
French satisfaire
- satisfaireto be enough (for)
German befriedigen, zufriedenstellen
- befriedigento be enough (for)
- zufriedenstellento be enough (for)
Greek ικανοποιώ
- ικανοποιώ (ikanopoió)to be enough (for)
Hungarian eleget tesz, megfizet
- eleget teszto pay to the extent of what is claimed or due
- megfizetto pay to the extent of what is claimed or due
- teljesítlaw: to answer or discharge
- kielégítmathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- eleget teszmathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- megfelelmathematics, logic: to cause to be true
- meggyőzdated, literary: to free from doubt
- meggyőződikdated, literary: to free from doubt
- kielégítto be enough (for)
- kielégítőto be enough (for)
- megnyugtatto be enough (for)
Icelandic gera ánægðan, fullnægja
- gera ánægðanto be enough (for)
- fullnægjato be enough (for)
Indonesian memuaskan, puaskan
- memuaskanto be enough (for)
- puaskanto be enough (for)
Irish sásaigh
- sásaighto be enough (for)
Italian soddisfare, accontentare
- soddisfareto be enough (for)
- accontentareto be enough (for)
- saziareto be enough (for)
Japanese 満たす
- 満たす (mitasu)to be enough (for)
Korean 만족시키다
- 만족시키다 (manjoksikida)to be enough (for)
Latin satiō, sufficio
- satiōto be enough (for)
- sufficioto be enough (for)
- satisfacioto be enough (for)
Lithuanian tenkinti, patenkinti
- tenkintito be enough (for)
- patenkintito be enough (for)
Malay memuaskan, puaskan
- memuaskanto be enough (for)
- puaskanto be enough (for)
Māori whakaupa, whakatūtataki
- whakaupato be enough (for)
- whakatūtatakito be enough (for)
- whakanāto be enough (for)
- whakaheito be enough (for)
Norwegian tilfredsstille
- tilfredsstilleto be enough (for)
Persian قانع کردن
- قانع کردن (qâne' kardan)to be enough (for)
Polish zadowalać, zadowolić
- zadowalaćto be enough (for)
- zadowolićto be enough (for)
- zaspokajaćto be enough (for)
- zaspokoićto be enough (for)
- satysfakcjonowaćto be enough (for)
- usatysfakcjonowaćto be enough (for)
Portuguese satisfazer
- satisfazerto be enough (for)
Romanian satisface, mulțumi
- satisfaceto be enough (for)
- mulțumito be enough (for)
- îndeplinito be enough (for)
Russian удовлетворя́ть, удовлетвори́ть
- удовлетворя́ть (udovletvorjátʹ)to be enough (for)
- удовлетвори́ть (udovletvorítʹ)to be enough (for)
Scottish Gaelic sàsaich, riaraich
- sàsaichto be enough (for)
- riaraichto be enough (for)
Slovak uspokojovať, uspokojiť
- uspokojovaťto be enough (for)
- uspokojiťto be enough (for)
Spanish satisfacer
- satisfacerto be enough (for)
Swedish tillfredsställa
- tillfredsställato be enough (for)
Tagalog masiyahan
- masiyahanto be enough (for)
Thai ทำให้พอใจ
- ทำให้พอใจto be enough (for)
Turkish tatmin etmek, yetmek
- tatmin etmekto be enough (for)
- yetmekto be enough (for)
- doyurmakto be enough (for)
Ukrainian задовольня́ти, задовольни́ти
- задовольня́ти (zadovolʹnjáty)to be enough (for)
- задовольни́ти (zadovolʹnýty)to be enough (for)
Vietnamese thỏa mãn, thoả mãn
- thỏa mãnto be enough (for)
- thoả mãnto be enough (for)
Cite this entry
satisfy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/satisfy
“satisfy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/satisfy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “satisfy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/satisfy.
Source: satisfy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.