1
as in to indulge
to give in to (a desire)
just gratify this one whim of mine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to satisfy
to give satisfaction to
your presence at the holiday table would really gratify your grandmother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gratify
Mike Brown Brown passionately covered high school sports during most of his 43 years with the Tulsa World, gratified to have worked with a literal generation of great athletes and coaches.
—
Carla Hinton, Oklahoman, 8 Feb. 2026
And that is gratifying after two episodes of somewhat dull table-setting.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Florsheim said that while he would have been gratified with a not guilty verdict, the result would have just applied to Shorewood.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The show can be funny, the camaraderie among the characters is gratifying, and the doctors are extraordinarily good-looking in the way only TV doctors can be.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gratify
Carla Hinton, Oklahoman, 8 Feb. 2026
And that is gratifying after two episodes of somewhat dull table-setting.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Florsheim said that while he would have been gratified with a not guilty verdict, the result would have just applied to Shorewood.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The show can be funny, the camaraderie among the characters is gratifying, and the doctors are extraordinarily good-looking in the way only TV doctors can be.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gratify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gratify
Verb
-
His appetite for complexity was increasingly indulged as a means of branding cities and institutions, and his novel forms were deployed as blunt metaphors to absorb and obscure contradictions rather than negotiate them in material and spatial terms.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Chris is a freelance journalist who, when not writing or falling further down the Lego rabbit hole, indulges his taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic.—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That explanation did not satisfy the project’s critics.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Keown added that restaurants are offering multiple types of pizza to satisfy a growing range of customer demands.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bathrooms are smartly designed to fit large shower-baths into a relatively compact space; tiling is dark and mirrored with pleasing gold accents.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The ex-governor, who was recalled in 2003 and replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, acknowledged his comments won’t please Democrats worried about the party’s large field splintering support, resulting in two Republicans advancing to the November runoff.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The ball circled the rim twice before dropping on Friday night, delighting Duke and its fans and crushing LSU.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Winds will be light and skies will be mostly sunny, allowing highs to warm into the upper 70s from Palo Alto to San Jose, with a few 80 degree readings scattered throughout.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
26 Mar. 2026
-
In a frying pan, over medium heat, warm the butter.—
Georgeanne Brennan,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This gulf has long been a source of misunderstandings, superiority complexes and also humor.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, who otherwise has humored Trump at every turn, has expressed revulsion at the idea of a pardon.—
Robin Abcarian,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Trump claimed the 11 turbines would spoil the view from his golf course.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
We have been spoiled the last two seasons.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gratify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gratify. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
