Borrowed fromMiddle Frenchsatisfactoire, fromLate Latinsatisfactōrius, fromLatinsatisfactus, past participle ofsatisfaciō.
satisfactory (comparativemoresatisfactory,superlativemostsatisfactory)
- Done tosatisfaction;adequate orsufficient.
- Thesatisfactory results of the survey led to his promotion.
1955,Erich Fromm,The Sane Society[1], Fawcet:The criterion of mental health is not one of individual adjustment to a given social order, but a universal one, valid for all men, of giving asatisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.
- Causing satisfaction;agreeable orpleasant;satisfying.
1870,Charles Dudley Warner, “Preliminary”, inMy Summer in a Garden, Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company,page15:To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds, and watch their renewal of life,—this is the commonest delight of the race, the mostsatisfactory thing a man can do.
- (theology) Makingatonement for asin;expiatory.
1623, John Mayer,The English Catechisme Explained, 3rd edition, London: Aug. Mathewes,page36:[…] therefore the ſuffering of any other nature could not bee ſo pertinent, nor kindlyſatisfactory.
Although structurally similar (both being derived fromsatisfy and describing that which producessatisfaction),satisfactory (def. 1) andsatisfying differ in connotation.Satisfactory connotes "adequate, conforming to standards," whilesatisfying connotes "pleasing, or sufficient to remove any feeling of lack." An answer to a question or the outcome of a situation, for example, could be satisfactory without being satisfying, if it met the requirements but left one wanting more.
adequate or sufficient
- Armenian:բավարար (hy)(bavarar)
- Asturian:satisfactoriu
- Belarusian:здавальня́ючы(zdavalʹnjájučy),здаво́льны(zdavólʹny)
- Bulgarian:задоволи́телен (bg)(zadovolítelen)
- Catalan:satisfactori
- Chinese:
- Mandarin:完滿的 /完满的 (zh)(wánmǎn de),滿足的 /满足的 (zh)(mǎnzú de)
- Czech:uspokojivý
- Danish:tilfredsstillende
- Dutch:bevredigend (nl)
- Estonian:rahuldav
- Finnish:tyydyttävä (fi)
- French:satisfaisant (fr)
- Galician:satisfactorio
- Georgian:დამაკმაყოფილებელი(damaḳmaq̇opilebeli)
- German:befriedigend (de),zufriedenstellend (de)
- Greek:ικανοποιητικός (el)(ikanopoiitikós)
- Hungarian:kielégítő (hu)
- Icelandic:ásættanlegur (is)
- Indonesian:memuaskan (id)
- Japanese:満足 (ja)(manzoku)
- Korean:만족스럽다 (ko)(manjokseureopda)
- Malay:memuaskan
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål:tilfredsstillende,tilstrekkelig,fyllestgjørende,fullgod
- Persian:کافی (fa)(kâfi),بسنده (fa)(basande)
- Polish:zadowalający (pl)
- Portuguese:satisfatório (pt)
- Romanian:satisfăcător (ro)
- Russian:удовлетвори́тельный (ru)(udovletvorítelʹnyj)
- Spanish:satisfactorio (es)
- Swedish:tillfredsställande (sv),fullgod (sv)
- Tajik:кофӣ (tg)(kofi),басанда(basanda)
- Telugu:సంతృప్తికరం(santr̥ptikaraṁ)
- Thai:น่าพอใจ(nâa pɔɔ jai)
- Turkish:tatminkâr (tr)
- Ukrainian:задові́льний(zadovílʹnyj)
- Vietnamese:đạtyêu cầu,tốt đẹp (vi)
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satisfactory (pluralsatisfactories)
- Somebody or something that meets requirements without exceeding them.
1978, Robert Thurston,Alicia II, page143:They seem quite big on more selectivity in breeding and stiffer tests to divide thesatisfactories from rejects. They say that even the term 'satisfactories' is wrong because it suggests a level just above mediocrity.
- The rating given to somebody or something that meets requirements without exceeding them.
1996, Donna E. Muncey, Patrick J. McQuillan,Reform and Resistance in Schools and Classrooms, page130:I've been a good student — mostly distinguisheds and only a fewsatisfactories[…]
