Satisfied

How to spell satisfied

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce satisfied

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does satisfied mean?

1. adjectiveFeeling content because a need, wish, or expectation has been met.
2. verbMet a need, demand, or condition fully (past tense of satisfy).

Satisfied in a sentence

• adjective

  The customer felt completely satisfied with the prompt refund.

• verb

  The hearty meal satisfied his hunger until the evening.

• adjective

  She was satisfied that the figures in the report were accurate.

• verb

  Her answers satisfied every question the panel raised.

Where does satisfied come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb satisfacere, which literally meant 'to do enough' or 'to make enough', built from satis meaning 'enough, sufficient' and facere meaning 'to do or make'. In Roman usage it carried a strong sense of meeting an obligation, paying what was owed, or making amends, and that legal flavour still echoes in modern phrases like 'satisfy a debt'. English took the verb 'satisfy' from Old French satisfier in the 1400s, and the form 'satisfied' is simply its past tense and past participle. The same satis root sits inside 'satiate' and 'sated', all sharing the idea of having had enough. A useful spelling cue is that the middle is built on 'satis', so it keeps the single 't' and the 's' before the 'fied', and the ending swaps the 'y' of 'satisfy' for 'ied'.

How the word is built

• satis- (from Latin satis: enough)
• -fy (from facere: to make)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)