Gratification
n.joyful, hopefulformal
What it means
Pleasure or satisfaction from a welcome achievement.
Reach for it when naming pleasure or satisfaction received from a desired result
Finishing the accessible trail brought the volunteers lasting gratification.
Choose between these
7- playful
payoff
an effort produces a welcome practical or emotional return
not when Payoff is informal and can suggest money, gambling, or a calculated exchange.
- everyday
fulfillment of a need or standard is central
not when Satisfaction is steadier and less focused on the pleasurable reward.
- warm
calm sufficiency persists after the result
not when Contentment lacks gratification's sharper sense of a want being satisfied.
- warm
simple enjoyment matters more than achievement
not when Pleasure can arise without any desire being fulfilled or effort succeeding.
- professional
fulfillment
deep alignment with purpose or potential is supported
not when Fulfillment is more lasting and meaningful than momentary gratification.
- professional
a benefit follows effort or desired behavior
not when Reward names what is received, while gratification names the resulting feeling.
- literary
bright, lively pleasure is openly felt
not when Delight is more joyful and may overstate quiet satisfaction.
Said against
3- frustration
- dissatisfaction
- disappointment
It naturally appears in
3- immediate gratification
Immediate gratification made the shortcut tempting despite its later cost.
- sense of gratification
A sense of gratification followed the team's careful restoration.
- delayed gratification
Delayed gratification helped the cooperative fund better equipment.
Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English noun sense: pleasure gained from satisfying a desire or achieving something opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.