1
as in to alleviate
to put a complete end to (a physical need or desire) the players satisfied their hunger after the game with a big pasta dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
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as in to compensate
to provide (someone) with a just payment for loss or injury the owners of the restaurant were generously satisfied for any business lost during the filming

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word satisfy distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of satisfy are compensate, indemnify, pay, recompense, reimburse, remunerate, and repay. While all these words mean "to give money or its equivalent in return for something," satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

When would compensate be a good substitute for satisfy?

The words compensate and satisfy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

When could indemnify be used to replace satisfy?

The synonyms indemnify and satisfy are sometimes interchangeable, but indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

When is it sensible to use pay instead of satisfy?

Although the words pay and satisfy have much in common, pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

Where would recompense be a reasonable alternative to satisfy?

While in some cases nearly identical to satisfy, recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

When is reimburse a more appropriate choice than satisfy?

While the synonyms reimburse and satisfy are close in meaning, reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

When can remunerate be used instead of satisfy?

The words remunerate and satisfy can be used in similar contexts, but remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

When might repay be a better fit than satisfy?

The meanings of repay and satisfy largely overlap; however, repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

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 satisfy The shimmying scramble off the line as the coupe tries to best translate 755 ponies to the road is equal parts satisfying and exhilarating. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025 The mixologist has devised sophisticated drinks that satisfy. Samantha Dunn, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025 But opponents of the law also argue the law's means don't satisfy the ends. Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Many kids find repeating these phrases satisfying, or silly, or just plain fun to say, Estevez says. ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for satisfy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for satisfy
Verb
  • That program has not alleviated concerns over postproduction deductions and, as of August, had not resolved any cases about that issue, the news organizations found.
    Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
  • There are privacy enhancing technologies that would alleviate this concern.
    Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Despite their mass use, Manuylov hopes to convince various associations and research boards to conduct comparative field tests of the classic methods versus his own.
    Maria Williams, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Ciara recently opened up about a time her husband, Russell Wilson, convinced a teenager with leukemia to stick with his treatment, an act that wound up changing his story from coming to an end.
    Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Liberation from time and pruning through mass dishwasher ownership is a dream that remainsonly partly fulfilled.
    Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Half of Walmart’s online orders are fulfilled from stores, with the rest coming from Walmart warehouses and seller warehouses.
    Dan Gingiss, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Each new company will be under pressure to cut costs to please Wall Street, reinforcing the very short-term thinking that got Kraft Heinz into trouble in the first place.
    Hank Cardello, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The character became shorthand for difficult-to-please bosses no matter the industry, and Streep earned one of her many Oscar nominations for her performance.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Most available positions are informal, poorly compensated and offer little stability or room for career growth.
    Nir Kshetri, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2025
  • That’s the extent to which Netzer was considered the key man beforehand, but his poor form eventually cost him a place in the West German starting XI, and the side compensated for his absence through discipline and energy rather than flair.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But in the meantime, the K-pop superstar boy band’s diehards can slake their thirst by watching member V smoke the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on Monday (Aug. 25).
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Moreover, there is no reason to assume that such concessions would slake Chinese and Russian ambitions: consider, for example, what Beijing’s massive investments in Latin America and attempts to corrupt the Canadian political system suggest about Chinese intentions.
    KORI SCHAKE, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Masiko enrolled him in a boarding school and persuaded Peter’s mom to allow her son to move in with his family.
    John Blake, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The alleged gunman was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whose family persuaded him to turn himself in after a two-day manhunt.
    Landon Mion , Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The guests were delighted by the surprise fireworks show.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Girl Violence, the result of that introspection, announces Strauss’ new chapter with songs that bloom and twist around themselves, echoing the fear and delight and increasing clear-eyedness that came along with each fresh experience.
    Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Satisfy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/satisfy. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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