GRATIFICATION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does gratification mean? 

• GRATIFICATION (noun)
  The noun GRATIFICATION has 2 senses:

1. state of being gratified or satisfied

2. the act or an instance of satisfying

  Familiarity information: GRATIFICATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GRATIFICATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

State of being gratified or satisfied

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

gratification; satisfaction

Context example:

to my immense gratification he arrived on time

Hypernyms ("gratification" is a kind of...):

emotional state; spirit (the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gratification"):

quality of life (your personal satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with the cultural or intellectual conditions under which you live (as distinct from material comfort))

comfort (satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing)

Derivation:

gratify (make happy or satisfied)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act or an instance of satisfying

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("gratification" is a kind of...):

satisfaction (act of fulfilling a desire or need or appetite)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gratification"):

satiation (the act of achieving full gratification)

head trip; self-gratification (the act of satisfying your own desires and giving yourself pleasure)

humoring; indulgence; indulging; pampering (the act of indulging or gratifying a desire)

pleasing (the act of one who pleases)

Derivation:

gratify (yield (to); give satisfaction to)

gratify (make happy or satisfied)

 Context examples 

Individuals typically experience an increased sense of tension prior to the act and then pleasure, gratification or release of tension at the time of committing the act.

(Impulse-Control Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

These were anxious considerations; enough to sober her spirits even under the prospect of a ball given principally for her gratification.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

In a few months, it is possible, the happiness of seeing progress, and a change for the better in my scholars may substitute gratification for disgust.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Isabella appeared to her ungenerous and selfish, regardless of everything but her own gratification.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

To your fine mind, I well know the sight of beauty is a real gratification.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

If you would rather direct this opportunity to help a family member, you can, and derive great gratification from the help you give a beloved relative.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A form of impulsivity related to the increased perceived value of immediate gratification as compared to a larger future reward.

(Delayed Reward Discounting, NCI Thesaurus)

A visit to the bank, where several thousand pounds were found to be lying to the murderer’s credit, completed his gratification.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

If these feelings had not found an imaginary gratification, the appearance of the city had yet in itself sufficient beauty to obtain our admiration.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

The former was for Sir John's gratification, the latter for that of his lady.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)