satisfaction

English

Etymology

From Middle English satisfaccioun, from Old French satisfaccion and Latin satisfactiō, satisfactiōnis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sætɪsˈfækʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ækʃən

Noun

satisfaction (countable and uncountable, plural satisfactions)

1. A fulfilment of a need or desire.
2. The pleasure obtained by such fulfillment.
   • November 4, 1860, Henry David Thoreau, letter to Mr. D. R.

     This life is not for complaint, but for satisfaction.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff.

3. The source of such gratification.
4. A reparation for an injury or loss.
5. A vindication for a wrong suffered.

   The count demanded satisfaction in the form of a duel at dawn.

   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], page 269:

     He is knight dubb'd with vnhatche'd Rapier, and on carpet conſideration, but he is a diuell in priuate brall, soules and bodies hath he diuorc'd three, and his incenſement at this moment is ſo implacable, that ſatisfaction can be none, but by pangs of death and ſepulcher: Hob, nob, is his word: giu't or take't.

6. (euphemistic) Sexual pleasure.
   • 1976 April 10, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, page 18:

     To young man who enjoys receiving oral satisfaction, this BiWM will give you all you want.

Derived terms

• job satisfaction
• satisfaction note
• satisfaction piece
• satisfaction theory of atonement
• self-satisfaction

 

Translations

fulfillment of a need or desire

• Albanian: kënaqësi (sq) f
• Arabic: رِضَا (ar) m (riḍā), إِشْبَاع m (ʔišbāʕ), اِرْتِيَاح m (irtiyāḥ), إِرْضَاء m (ʔirḍāʔ)
• Armenian: բավարարում (hy) (bavararum), գոհացում (hy) (gohacʻum)
• Belarusian: здавальне́нне n (zdavalʹnjénnje)
• Bulgarian: удовлетворе́ние (bg) n (udovletvorénie), задово́лство (bg) n (zadovólstvo)
• Catalan: satisfacció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 滿意／满意 (zh) (mǎnyì), 滿足／满足 (zh) (mǎnzú)

• Czech: uspokojení n
• Danish: tilfredsstillelse c
• Dutch: voldoening (nl) f, bevrediging (nl) f
• Esperanto: kontentigo
• Estonian: rahulolu, rahuldus
• Finnish: tyydytys (fi)
• French: satisfaction (fr) f
• Galician: satisfacción (gl) f
• Georgian: კმაყოფილება (ḳmaq̇opileba), დაკმაყოფილება (daḳmaq̇opileba)
• German: Befriedigung (de) f
• Greek: ικανοποίηση (el) f (ikanopoíisi)
• Hindi: संतुष्टि (hi) f (santuṣṭi)
• Hungarian: kielégítés (hu)
• Icelandic: fullnæging (is) f
• Italian: soddisfazione (it) f
• Japanese: 満足 (ja) (まんぞく, manzoku)
• Kazakh: қанағаттандыру (qanağattandyru), қанағаттану (qanağattanu)
• Korean: 만족(滿足) (ko) (manjok)
• Kyrgyz: канааттандыруу (ky) (kanaattandıruu)
• Latin: fructus (la) m
• Latvian: apmierinātība f, apmierinājums m
• Lithuanian: pasitenkinimas m, patenkinimas m
• Macedonian: задоволство n (zadovolstvo)
• Maori: wanea, ngata, mokori
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tilfredshet (no) m, tilfredsstillelse m

• Pashto: قناعت (ps) m (qenā'at)
• Persian: رِضا (fa) (rezâ), قَناعَت (fa) (qanâ'at), اِرضاء (fa) (erzâ')
• Plautdietsch: Befrädjunk f
• Polish: zadowolenie (pl) n, satysfakcja (pl) f
• Portuguese: satisfação (pt) f
• Quechua: saksay
• Romanian: satisfacție (ro) f, satisfacere (ro) f
• Russian: удовлетворе́ние (ru) n (udovletvorénije)
• Sanskrit: तर्पण (sa) n (tarpaṇa)
• Scottish Gaelic: sàsachadh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: задово̀љство n

  Roman: zadovòljstvo (sh) n

• Slovak: uspokojenie n
• Slovene: zadovoljstvo n
• Spanish: satisfacción (es)
• Swedish: tillfredsställning c, tillfredsställelse (sv) c
• Tajik: ризо (rizo), қаноат (qanoat), таъмин (tg) (taʾmin)
• Telugu: తృప్తి (te) (tr̥pti)
• Thai: ความพอใจ (th) (kwaam-pɔɔ-jai)
• Tocharian B: soylñe
• Turkish: tatmin (tr)
• Ukrainian: задово́лення n (zadovólennja)
• Urdu: قَناعَت f (qanā'at)
• Vietnamese: sự thỏa mãn (vi)

pleasure obtained by such fulfillment

• Albanian: kënaqësi (sq)
• Bulgarian: удово́лствие (bg) n (udovólstvie)
• Catalan: satisfacció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愉快 (zh) (yúkuài), 稱心／称心 (zh) (chènxīn)

• Danish: tilfredshed c
• Dutch: tevredenheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: kontenteco
• Finnish: mielihyvä (fi), tyydytys (fi)
• Georgian: კმაყოფილება (ḳmaq̇opileba)
• German: Zufriedenheit (de) f
• Greek: ικανοποίηση (el) f (ikanopoíisi)
• Hungarian: elégedettség (hu), megelégedés (hu), kielégülés (hu), megnyugvás (hu)
• Irish: sástacht f
• Italian: soddisfazione (it) f
• Japanese: (for desire) 満悦 (ja) (まんえつ, manetsu); (mainly pleasure) 充足 (ja) (じゅうそく, jūsoku), 充実 (ja) (じゅうじつ, jūjitsu)
• Malay: kepuasan
• Maori: wanea, uruhautanga
• Polish: zadowolenie (pl) n, satysfakcja (pl) f
• Portuguese: satisfação (pt) f
• Romanian: satisfacție (ro) f
• Russian: удовлетворённость (ru) f (udovletvorjónnostʹ), удово́льствие (ru) n (udovólʹstvije)
• Scottish Gaelic: sàsachadh m
• Swedish: belåtenhet (sv) c
• Ukrainian: задово́лення n (zadovólennja), задово́леність f (zadovólenistʹ)

source of such gratification

• Catalan: satisfacció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 滿意／满意 (zh) (mǎnyì), 滿足／满足 (zh) (mǎnzú)

• Finnish: tyydytys (fi), täyttymys (fi)
• Portuguese: satisfação (pt) f
• Romanian: satisfacție (ro) f

reparation for an injury or loss

• Catalan: satisfacció (ca) f
• Finnish: hyvitys (fi), vahingonkorvaus
• German: Satisfaktion (de) f, Genugtuung (de) f
• Greek: ικανοποίηση (el) f (ikanopoíisi)
• Hungarian: elégtétel (hu), kártérítés (hu), kárpótlás (hu), jóvátétel (hu), kiegyenlítés (hu)
• Japanese: 補償 (ja) (ほしょう, hoshō), 賠償 (ja) (ばいしょう, baishō), 償い (つぐない, tsugunai)
• Portuguese: satisfação (pt) f, retribuição (pt) f
• Romanian: satisfacție (ro) f

vindication for a wrong suffered

• Catalan: satisfacció (ca) f
• Finnish: hyvitys (fi)
• Hungarian: elégtétel (hu)
• Japanese: 補償 (ja) (ほしょう, hoshō), 賠償 (ja) (ばいしょう, baishō), 償い (つぐない, tsugunai)
• Macedonian: задоволство n (zadovolstvo)
• Portuguese: satisfação (pt) f, retribuição (pt) f
• Romanian: satisfacție (ro) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} رِضًا (ar) f (riḍan)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} voldoening (nl) f
• French: ^{(please verify)} satisfaction (fr) f
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} tilfredsstillelse m (1,2,3), ^{(please verify)} oppreisning (4,5)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} satisfacción (es) f

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin satisfactiōnem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.tis.fak.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

satisfaction f (uncountable)

1. satisfaction
2. fulfilment

   Synonym: assouvissement

3. pleasure

   Synonym: plaisir

Related terms

• satisfaire
• satiété
• assez

Further reading

• “satisfaction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.