gratify
verb
grat·i·fy
ˈgra-tə-ˌfī 
gratified; gratifying
1
: to be a source of or give pleasure or satisfaction to
it gratified him to have his wife wear jewels—
Willa Cather
Willa Cather3
archaic
: remunerate, reward
Did you know?
A gratifying experience is quietly pleasing or satisfying. But gratifying an impulse means giving in to it, which isn't always such a good idea, and "instant gratification" of every desire will result in a life based on junk food and worse. Truly gratifying experiences and accomplishments usually are the result of time and effort.
Examples of gratify in a Sentence
A guilty verdict would gratify the victim's relatives.
He's only concerned with gratifying his own desires.
Recent Examples on the Web
And the success of finishing his college career with a 10-win season — and having 10 total combine invites — after the Hurricanes took their lumps for much of his college career was gratifying.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Murakami said he was gratified to see the collection has retained its appeal.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 27 Feb. 2025
So we are gratified that this unfairness has been corrected.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
The composers have a WarioWare library’s worth of FX: Tiny alarms for a shocked face; rippling winds to signal someone in deep thought; kitschy screams to ratchet up the suspense; the gratifying whoosh when a vote parchment is read.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gratify
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David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Murakami said he was gratified to see the collection has retained its appeal.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 27 Feb. 2025
So we are gratified that this unfairness has been corrected.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
The composers have a WarioWare library’s worth of FX: Tiny alarms for a shocked face; rippling winds to signal someone in deep thought; kitschy screams to ratchet up the suspense; the gratifying whoosh when a vote parchment is read.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gratify
Cite this Entry
“Gratify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gratify. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gratify
verb
grat·i·fy
ˈgrat-ə-ˌfī
gratified; gratifying
1
: to give or be a source of pleasure or satisfaction to
2
: to grant a favor to : indulge
gratification
noun
ˌgrat-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
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