satisfy

English

Etymology

From Middle English satisfyen, satisfien, from Old French satisfiier, satisfier (also Old French satisfaire), from Latin satisfacere, present active infinitive of satisfaciō, from satis (“enough, sufficient”) + faciō (“I make, I do”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsætɪsfaɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sat‧is‧fy

Verb

satisfy (third-person singular simple present satisfies, present participle satisfying, simple past and past participle satisfied)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To do enough for; to meet the needs of; to fulfill the wishes or requirements of.

   I'm not satisfied with the quality of the food here.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book 9”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Death shall […] with us two / Be forced to satisfy his ravenous maw.

2. (transitive) To cause (a sentence) to be true when the sentence is interpreted in one's universe.

   The complex numbers satisfy $\exists x:x^{2}+1=0$.

3. (dated, literary, transitive) To convince by ascertaining; to free from doubt.
   • (Can we date this quote by Atterbury and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     The standing evidences of the truth of the gospel are in themselves most firm, solid, and satisfying.

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 19

     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.

4. (transitive) To pay to the extent of what is claimed or due.

   to satisfy a creditor

5. (transitive) To answer or discharge (a claim, debt, legal demand, etc.); to give compensation for.

   to satisfy a claim or an execution

Antonyms

• (meet needs, fulfill): disappoint
• dissatisfy

Related terms

• satisfaction
• satisfactory
• satisfice
• satiate
• satiation
• satiety

Translations

to meet needs, to fulfill

• Armenian: բավարարել (hy) (bavararel)
• Asturian: satisfacer
• Belarusian: задавальня́ць impf (zadavalʹnjácʹ), задаво́ліць pf (zadavólicʹ)
• Bulgarian: удовлетворя́вам (bg) impf (udovletvorjávam)
• Catalan: satisfer (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 滿足 (zh), 满足 (zh) (mǎnzú)

• Czech: uspokojit (cs), vyhovět
• Danish: tilfredsstille (da)
• Dutch: voldoen (nl), voldoende zijn (nl), bevredigen (nl)
• Esperanto: kontentigi
• Finnish: tyydyttää (fi)
• French: satisfaire (fr)
• Galician: satisfacer
• Georgian: დაკმაყოფილება (daḳmaq̇opileba)
• German: befriedigen (de), zufriedenstellen (de)
• Greek: ικανοποιώ (el) (ikanopoió)

  Ancient: κορέννυμι (korénnumi)

• Hungarian: kielégít (hu)
• Ido: satisfacar (io)
• Italian: soddisfare (it), accontentare (it), saziare
• Japanese: 満たす (ja) (みたす, mitasu)
• Korean: 만족시키다 (manjoksikida)

• Latin: satiō, sufficio (la), satisfacio
• Macedonian: задоволува impf (zadovoluva), задоволи pf (zadovoli)
• Malagasy: mahavoky (mg), mamoky (mg)
• Maori: whakaupa, whakatūtataki, whakanā (thirst, appetite), whakahei (an obligation), whakatūtataki
• Norwegian: tilfredsstille (no)
• Old English: cweman, gesedan, sadian, weldon, fyllan, afyllan
• Persian: قانع کردن‎ (qâne' kardan)
• Polish: zadowalać (pl) impf, zadowolić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: satisfazer (pt)
• Quechua: saksay, amikuy
• Romanian: satisface (ro), mulțumi (ro), îndeplini (ro)
• Russian: удовлетворя́ть (ru) impf (udovletvorjátʹ), удовлетвори́ть (ru) pf (udovletvorítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sàsaich, riaraich
• Slovene: zadovoljeváti impf, zadovoljíti pf
• Spanish: satisfacer (es)
• Swedish: tillfredsställa (sv)
• Telugu: తీర్చు (te) (tīrcu)
• Thai: ทำให้พอใจ
• Turkish: tatmin etmek (tr), yetmek (tr), doyurmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: задовольня́ти impf (zadovolʹnjáty), задовольни́ти (uk) pf (zadovolʹnýty)
• Vietnamese: thỏa mãn (vi)

to satisfy — see respond

Further reading

• satisfy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• satisfy in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• satisfy at OneLook Dictionary Search