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 In my view, Computex focused heavily this year on filling the gaps in companies’ product lineups and satisfying the needs of consumers and enterprises, whether at the high end with the Dell Pro Max Plus or at the low end with the entry-level gaming cards from Nvidia and AMD. Anshel Sag, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025 All this kit isn't just to satisfy scientific curiosity. David Szondy june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2025 But this version, more sadistic than the last, still didn't satisfy. ArsTechnica, 14 June 2025 Focusing on a few key essentials is enough to satisfy Google and get most websites some quick SEO wins. Nick Zviadadze, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for satisfy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for satisfy
Verb
  • Wirtz could fit brilliantly into that mould, alleviating the need to sign a top striker, a notoriously difficult market.
    David Ornstein, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • Managers often fall into this trap by micromanaging to alleviate their own anxiety, but this erodes trust.
    Brittney Van Matre, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Your knowledge of a topic is often less important than your ability to convince others that your opponent is an idiot.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 June 2025
  • Back in Twin Peaks, Jerry Horne is convinced that his foot is talking.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., first sent a letter to Schill to testify in April, accusing Northwestern of failing to fulfill its commitment to protect Jewish students.
    Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
  • Many hotels in the city are required to have clean-air transportation as part of their development agreement, which ATN fulfills.
    Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Gallo California Chardonnay California in a bottle, this budget-friendly Gallo California Chardonnay is crafted to please a wide range of palates.
    Chelsea Frank, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • Is Huda self-absorbed, overdramatic, extremely volatile, overly obsessed with traditional gender roles, and impossible to please?
    Shannon Keating, Vulture, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Not only does this type of pain point to an underlying injury, pushing through can lead to a secondary injury, because other muscles and tissues absorb extra stress to compensate.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 23 June 2025
  • It was created with a single question in mind: Why do most work boots fail the people who wear them every day? Uncomfortable fits, tight toe boxes, and poor longevity have often left many tradespeople compensating.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • While a handful of commercial pieces have been released in recent seasons to slake the thirst of fans exclusively on the brand’s website, fall 2025 marks the formal return of a rtw offer.
    Lily Templeton, WWD, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • As the relationship between the young couple became more serious, Sarah’s parents tried to show him the best of Kansas City in the hopes that Yaron — who grew up in Germany and Israel — might be persuaded to stay in the US.
    Wolf Blitzer, CNN Money, 29 June 2025
  • Even with that new path looming, though, his father, Ignacio, persuaded him to attend one last tryout in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo that would be scouted by all 30 MLB teams.
    Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • The combination of microservices with edge computing CDNs and micro frontends creates a robust application development framework that enables fast, resilient and scalable applications that delight users while driving business expansion.
    Raju Dandigam, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • The sequel has plenty of the same horror-comedy elements that delighted audiences a couple years ago, but there’s also a major action upgrade that resembles the paths that Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day took from their predecessors.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Satisfy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/satisfy. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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