gratification

noun

grat·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌgra-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: reward, recompense

monetary gratification for a job well done

especially : gratuity

2

: the act of gratifying : the state of being gratified

the gratification of physical appetites

3

: a source of satisfaction or pleasure

found gratification in getting his novel published

Synonyms of gratification

• enjoyment
• contentment
• satisfaction
• pleasure
• happiness
• content
• delight

Examples of gratification in a Sentence

eating good chocolate gives me a sense of intense gratification

Recent Examples on the Web

Child psychiatrist and Yale School of Medicine professor Yann Poncin previously told USA TODAY that over time, technology exposure rewires the brain to expect instant gratification, depleting the brain’s cognitive patience and threshold for tolerating frustration in the process. —Rachel Hale, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026

That Fredrikze will even be in a position to do so is a source of immense gratification. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026

Turnbull has undergone surgery for prostate cancer, which would be a sympathetic predicament if not for the fact that his entire hideous self seems to reside in his genitals and their gratification. —Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

The other competitions feel like palate cleansers; the Premier League feels like a gruelling march towards gratification. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see gratify

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gratification

• self-gratification

Rhymes for gratification

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration