gratify

verb grat·i·fy \ ˈgra-tə-ˌfī \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of gratify

gratified; gratifying

transitive verb

1 archaic : remunerate, reward

2 : to be a source of or give pleasure or satisfaction to

it gratified him to have his wife wear jewels
—Willa Cather

3 : to give in to : indulge, satisfy

gratify a whim

See gratify defined for English-language learners

See gratify defined for kids

Examples of gratify in a Sentence

A guilty verdict would gratify the victim's relatives.
He's only concerned with gratifying his own desires.

Recent Examples of gratify from the Web

The sound effect for scoring the last hit on a minion was endlessly gratifying.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "How Epic’s Fortnite rose from the ashes of Paragon’s failure," 11 May 2018
Frankly, there was much in the hearing that was gratifying.

— joseph margulies, Time, "Gina Haspel Ran the CIA Site Where My Client Had Been Tortured. Her Testimony Changed My Opinion of Her," 10 May 2018
The rise in talent level around Davis, especially adding the leadership of Rondo, was gratifying.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "The end should just be the beginning for the New Orleans Pelicans," 9 May 2018
Relationships are messy and entertainment is gratifying.

— erin griffith, WIRED, "Facebook's New Focus on 'Community' Might Actually Depress You," 8 May 2018
And seeing the substantial increase in NIH financial support over the past three years has been truly gratifying.

— meghana keshavan, STAT, "NIH’s Francis Collins on gene-editing, a missed calling, and what he’d change about science," 3 May 2018
In other words, Westworld gratifies the darkest fantasies of the park’s visitors and then uses their information to … do something bad, probably.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Westworld: What's in 'The Valley Beyond'?," 29 Apr. 2018
Washington’s granddaughter, Johnnye Patterson, said the family was gratified to learn that Washington’s name is included on the memorial as a lynching victim.

— kim chandler, The Seattle Times, "New lynching memorial evokes terror of victims," 23 Apr. 2018
Yes, Republicans did enact a tax cut that, for them, salvaged the year, and that had to be gratifying to the inveterate supply-sider Ryan.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Paul Ryan’s Long Fight to Destroy the Welfare State Ends in Defeat," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gratify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A gratifying experience is quietly pleasing or satisfying. But gratifying an impulse means giving in to it, which isn't always such a good idea, and "instant gratification" of every desire will result in a life based on junk food and worse. Truly gratifying experiences and accomplishments usually are the result of time and effort.