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
Relevance
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
Reading a book—an activity that doesn’t offer the same instant gratification as, say, a TikTok video—may feel slow and grueling by comparison.
—
Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 23 Aug. 2025
Daniels’ career is a testament to playing the long game, something that gets increasingly harder to do in this era of instant gratification and online rankings.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
For more instant gratification, grab a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon or the end of a rolling pin).
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
Over time, technology addiction 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, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gratification
Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 23 Aug. 2025
Daniels’ career is a testament to playing the long game, something that gets increasingly harder to do in this era of instant gratification and online rankings.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
For more instant gratification, grab a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon or the end of a rolling pin).
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
Over time, technology addiction 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, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gratification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gratification
Noun
-
And that robbed the viewing experience of some enjoyment.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In a culture that emphasizes saving face and meeting expectations, students were less motivated by curiosity or enjoyment and more by fear of letting others down.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Was this what some people called analytic contentment?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The acquisition of simpleshow provides not only a global customer base but one with high customer satisfaction and retention.—
Gil Press,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The repetitive motion of stitching is soothing, while finishing a piece offers the satisfaction of tangible progress.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yet on this evening, the four women—a German, a Pole, a Belgian and a Frenchwoman—were playing Beethoven’s masterpiece, clandestinely since Jewish musicians were not considered worthy of playing such magnificent German works and were doing so just for their own pleasure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
-
There’s no separating the pain from the pleasures of life.—
Colin Bedell,
Them.,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Poehler plays Joy, the embodiment of happiness in the mind of main character Riley, in the Inside Out movies.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Co-written with Claire Douglas, Hannah Ellis, and Jason Massey, the song explores the uneasy tendency to sabotage our own happiness, pairing wistful guitars with Velasco's soaring vocals.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This represents the next generation of AI beyond current chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude, which simply answer questions or generate content.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Chef Anand Singh, formerly of Arbol at the Five-Star Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort, guides diners through Indian cooking techniques with dishes that surprise and delight.—
Melinda Sheckells,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Barbecue fans can now sample these stylish delights 50% more often, for as of Labor Day weekend Barbs accomplished a long-time goal and is now open on Fridays as well as Saturdays and Sundays.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gratification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gratification. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share