Satisfactory

How to spell satisfactory

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce satisfactory

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does satisfactory mean?

1. adjectiveGood enough to meet a requirement or expectation, though not outstanding.

Satisfactory in a sentence

• The inspector found the repairs to be satisfactory and approved the building.

• Her exam results were satisfactory but fell short of the grade she had hoped for.

Where does satisfactory come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin satisfacere, meaning literally 'to do enough' or 'to make sufficient', formed from satis 'enough' and facere 'to do or to make'. From this came the late Latin adjective satisfactorius, which originally carried a theological sense of 'making amends' or 'atoning', the idea being that an act could pay back enough to settle a debt or wrong. English borrowed the word in the 1500s, by way of French, and the meaning broadened from 'making restitution' to the more general sense of 'meeting a requirement well enough'. The same satis root survives in 'satiate' and 'sated', while the facere root powers a huge family including 'factory', 'manufacture' and 'fact'. Remembering that hidden 'factory' inside satisfactory helps fix the -fac- spelling that the rushed pronunciation tends to blur.

How the word is built

• satis- (enough)
• fac (do/make)
• -tory (adjective suffix)