GRATIFICATION Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

gratification

noun

ˌgra-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən

Definition of gratification

as in enjoyment

the feeling experienced when one's wishes are met eating good chocolate gives me a sense of intense gratification

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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 Walter Mischel, a psychologist who taught at Stanford and Columbia, conducted some of the most famous studies on delaying gratification in the late 1960s and 1970s. — Joan M. Cook, Time, 3 Oct. 2026 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 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

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

Sometimes, the contentment of dining alone at your favorite restaurant, or sitting solo in front of a roaring fireplace with a good book, is a surprising preference.

— Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 5 Nov. 2026
As the man falls to the ground dead, Jurek smiles in sadistic contentment.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of contentment

Noun

Success should be measured by resolution times, accuracy, customer satisfaction, employee productivity and reliability, not by how much software gets replaced.

— Steve Dawson, Forbes.com, 12 Nov. 2026
Both the recipients of the food and the farmers reported high satisfaction with the program’s delivery and felt the program strengthened community connections while also supporting local agricultural livelihoods.

— Meagen Rosenthal, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of satisfaction

Noun

Read something for pleasure, sit somewhere quiet, or take a walk without an errand attached.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
Lately new, design-centric hotels and a growing slate of destination restaurants are joining the enduring pleasures to create an era of vibrancy for all travelers to enjoy.

— Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 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

His blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit, according to a news release issued by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2026
And, of course, thanks to social media, this content can gain an instant and wide audience.

— Steve Mollman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2026

Definition of content

Noun

Regardless, the movie’s litany of fantastical demons, and its anthropomorphic animal heroes, remain an audiovisual delight.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2026
But boy, does the audience shiver with delight watching Ghidorah stomp buildings to rubble while the sound design rattles our seats.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of delight

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grates

gratification

gratified

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“Gratification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gratification. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of gratification

noun

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