Standard Lemma guide

gratify

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɡrætɪfaɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: G R AE1 T AH0 F AY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To please.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: happify, gladden, beatify, enrapture, begladden, blissen, bright, cheer, fetch, cheer up, cherish, content, delight, elate, elevate, enbliss, exhilarate, fain, gay, gladden someone's heart, gratify, happy, hearten, jollify, laetificate, light up, make someone's day, perk up, please, raise someone's spirits, rejoice, turn the frown upside down, upcheer, warm someone's heart, warm the cockles of someone's heart

Antonyms: anger, disquiet, fluster

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make content; to satisfy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • gratify the critics
  • gratify the voters

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conciliate, placate, abound, amuse, appease, assuage, captivate, cater, cloy, compensate, delight, elate, entertain, exuberate, fascinate, fill, flatter, fulfill, gratify, humor, humour, indulge, measure up, mollify, pacify, please, propitiate, provide, quench, rejoice, sate, satiate, score, serve, slake, suffice, suit, supply, teem

Antonyms: discontent, dissatisfy

3

verb

Meaning 3

yield (to); give satisfaction to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pander, indulge

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: provide, supply, ply, cater

Narrower terms: humor, humour, spree, sow one's oats, sow one's wild oats

4

verb

Meaning 4

make happy or satisfied

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: satisfy

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: please, delight, content

History

Etymology

From French gratifier, from Latin grātificō (“to do a favor to, oblige, please, gratify”), from grātus (“kind, pleasing”) + faciō (“to make”).

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գոհացնել (gohacʻnel) — to please
  • Bulgarian: задоволявам (zadovoljavam) — to please
  • Bulgarian: удовлетворявам (udovletvorjavam) — to please
  • Catalan: gratificar — to please
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使/讓(......)高興 /使/让(......)高兴 — to please
  • Finnish: ilahduttaa — to please
  • Finnish: miellyttää — to please
  • French: gratifier — to please
  • Latin: iuvo — to please
  • Māori: whakawaireka — to please
  • Portuguese: gratificar — to please
  • Russian: угожда́ть (ugoždátʹ) — to please
  • Russian: угоди́ть (ugodítʹ) — to please
  • Russian: ублажа́ть (ublažátʹ) — to please
  • Russian: ублажи́ть (ublažítʹ) — to please
  • Bulgarian: доставям удоволствие (dostavjam udovolstvie) — to make content, satisfy
  • Catalan: gratificar — to make content, satisfy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使/讓(......)滿足 /使/让(......)满足 — to make content, satisfy
  • Finnish: tyydyttää — to make content, satisfy
  • French: gratifier — to make content, satisfy
  • Japanese: 満足させる (manzoku saseru) — to make content, satisfy
  • Japanese: 満たす (mitasu) — to make content, satisfy
  • Māori: whakawaireka — to make content, satisfy
  • Māori: whakatūtataki — to make content, satisfy
  • Portuguese: gratificar — to make content, satisfy
  • Russian: удовлетворя́ть (udovletvorjátʹ) — to make content, satisfy
  • Russian: удовлетвори́ть (udovletvorítʹ) — to make content, satisfy
  • Swedish: tillfredsställa — to make content, satisfy
  • Ottoman Turkish: اقناع ایتمك (iknâʼ etmek) — to make content, satisfy
  • Ottoman Turkish: تطمین ایتمك (tatmin etmek) — to make content, satisfy