Satisfactory
What it means
Good enough to meet a need or standard.
Reach for it when describing a result that adequately meets the relevant requirement or expectation
The repaired roof passed every test with satisfactory results.
Words to choose between 8
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional |
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| formal |
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playful
passable
Fits when candidly describing barely acceptable quality
Careful Passable is weaker and often backhanded.
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everyday
up to standard
Fits when a known benchmark is met
Careful The phrase requires a real standard, not preference.
-
professional
Fits when a stated standard is met without stronger praise
Careful Acceptable can sound reluctant and may hide which standard applied.
-
professional
adequate
Fits when sufficiency rather than excellence is the honest claim
Careful Adequate often sounds faintly critical.
-
professional
Fits when performance shows the required ability
Careful Competent fits people or work, not every outcome.
-
professional
serviceable
Fits when something functions adequately in use
Careful Serviceable can sound utilitarian and unimpressive.
-
professional
sufficient
Fits when enough quantity or evidence is present
Careful Sufficient does not evaluate quality beyond the threshold.
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formal
sound
Fits when construction or reasoning is dependable
Careful Sound is more approving and less tied to a minimum.
Opposites 3
- unsatisfactory
- inadequate
- unacceptable
Common phrases 3
-
satisfactory result
The second inspection produced a satisfactory result.
-
satisfactory condition
The bridge remains in satisfactory condition for light traffic.
-
entirely satisfactory
The explanation was entirely satisfactory once the evidence was attached.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Satisfactory is measured praise. It should not be upgraded to excellent or exceptional when the evidence only shows adequacy.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated