gratification

noun

ˌgra-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce gratification (audio)
Definition of gratificationnext
as in enjoyment
the feeling experienced when one's wishes are met eating good chocolate gives me a sense of intense gratification

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 gratification Maybe, then, the work isn’t so much a project, but a lifelong mission, an analogue rejection of video being the medium of instant gratification. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 Specialized work rarely offers instant gratification, and the people who succeed are usually those who can remain focused through the frustrating early stages of learning. — Matthew Darienzo, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 Trump’s preference for immediate gratification explains many of his decisions, including defunding scientific and medical research, accelerating fossil-fuel emissions, and denigrating American soft power globally. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026 The film leaves a viewer with authentic consolations and gratifications in the rearview mirror that seemed harder to discern while moving ahead into the unknown with the sun in one’s eyes. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gratification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gratification
  1. enjoyment
  2. contentment
  3. satisfaction
  4. pleasure
  5. happiness
  6. content
  7. delight
Noun
  • The six categories that allow a lawsuit Under the limitation option, a person can sue for noneconomic damages, which include pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, only if the injury falls into one of six categories.
    — Reputio, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The movie-logging platform has helped reshape the world’s repertory film scene — effectively gamifying the enjoyment of archival art — while debates about the Times often wind their way back to the paper’s coverage of Palestine and trans rights.
    — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of enjoyment
Noun
  • As the man falls to the ground dead, Jurek smiles in sadistic contentment.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Spates of them appear every couple of years, often inspired by surveys of financial contentment like Goldman’s.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of contentment
Noun
  • Results included 30% less operating effort and customer satisfaction of 96%.
    — Dilip Kumar, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Studies out of the University of Toronto also show that 32 percent of single women report the highest tier of satisfaction with being single (compared to only 20 percent of single men).
    — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of satisfaction
Noun
  • Today’s Venus-Jupiter sextile supports pleasure through friendship and a broader view of life.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Japanese content’s growing reach overseas has been a source of real pleasure.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of pleasure
Noun
  • That pivot represents a rare about-face for a tech giant that has sought to remake the world in its own image, consumer happiness be damned.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The amateur is freed from the pressures of exhibition and sale, but that might just as easily breed bitterness as happiness.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of happiness
Noun
  • Passed in 1996, the federal legislation has protected social media companies from being sued over content posted by their users.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Clinical intent lives inside systems, EHRs, point-of-care workflows and clinical content platforms that were never built to expose it in real time to anyone outside the clinical encounter itself.
    — Kamya Elawadhi, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of content
Noun
  • The boysenberry, a Knott’s creation, is a delight, a sort of midpoint between a blackberry and a raspberry, although sweeter than both.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • One of the guests chuckles with evil delight when Kerry confirms that someone got in trouble.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of delight

Browse Nearby Words

grates
gratification
gratified
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Cite this Entry

“Gratification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gratification. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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