How to use gratification in a sentence

19 example sentences · noun

Gratification means the act of gratifying or pleasing, either the mind, or the appetite or taste. Example: “Many of the so-called rites of these secret societies were so patently ridiculous, that it is quite obvious that they were merely an excuse for men and women to indulge in sex-play and lustful gratification, frequently of an abnormal kind.”

Examples of gratification by meaning

nounThe act of gratifying or pleasing, either the mind, or the appetite or taste.

gratification of the heart gratification of the palate
Many of the so-called rites of these secret societies were so patently ridiculous, that it is quite obvious that they were merely an excuse for men and women to indulge in sex-play and lustful gratification, frequently of an abnormal kind.1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 161

nounA feeling of pleasure; satisfaction.

To my gratification he told me I could reënter the institution, and that he would trust me to pay the debt when I could.1900, Booker T[aliaferro] Washington, “Helping Others”, in Up from Slavery: An Autobiography, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co....

More sentences with gratification

Lost souls, braying for self-help and instant gratification up votes on the internet.2013 August 5, Ryan Bassil, “Is Taylor Swift a Regular Poster on 4Chan?”, in Vice, archived from the original on 01 Nov 2024. From the entry /b/ro
You're hung up that personal gratification can't be combined with helping other people.2010, Bill Blanchet, The Reform Plan, Trafford Publishing, page 125. From the entry Mary Worth
"What you're really talking about is the concept of postponed gratification," Dr.1983 August 14, Harvey D. Shapiro, “Personal Finance: Summer Jobs—A Lesson in Economics I”, in New York Times, retrieved 22 Jul 2015. From the entry reality principle
She derives her gratification from the dirt in which she is living.1949, Wilhelm Stekel, Compulsion and Doubt: (Zwang und Zweifel), page 355. From the entry mysophile
In this relation we note with gratification the visit to this country of Mr.1912, E. W. Taylor, Robert M. Green, editors, The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, volume CLXVII, Boston, Mass.: W. M. Leonard, […]…. From the entry propagandum
Retail therapy and consumerism in general has long been used for its instant gratification, especially when people are feeling blue.2024 March 11, Indrabati Lahiri, “Doom Spending: Why does it happen and how can you curb it?”, in Euronews, archived from the original on…. From the entry doom spending
In the classic marshmallow studies, delaying gratification by waiting to eat the marshmallows is seen as a good result—indicating more willpower.2020, Joseph Cesario, David J. Johnson, Heather L. Eisthen, “Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside”, in Current Directions…. From the entry psychodynamic
If I ask you to delay the gratification of eating a McGriddle what do you get in return for waiting?2018, Michael Alvear, V.E. Strousberg, Make Your Life Great Again With Donald Trump’s Classic Moves, Woodpecker Media, →ISBN. From the entry McGriddle
Instant gratification is the curse of the X generation.2013, Percival Everett, James Kincaid, A History of the African-American People. From the entry X Generation
The long-term burden overwhelms the immediate gratification.2002, Thomas Princen, Michael Maniates, Ken Conca, Confronting Consumption, page 33. From the entry misconsume
It is this loss of gratification—whether autoerotic or alloerotic (involving another person such as the mother)—that Lacan refers to as "castration."1999, Bruce Fink, A Clinical Introduction to Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Theory and Technique, Harvard University Press, page 66. From the entry alloerotic
Oral gratification was offered almost continuously—between-meal nourishment, before-bed treats, chewing gum and toys which could be sucked and chewed.1958, E. I. Falstein, H. A. Sutton, “Childhood Schizophrenia”, in The American Journal of Nursing, volume 58, number 5, page 669. From the entry oral gratification
Smoking is, at heart, oral gratification.2003 November 22, Richard Corliss, “That Old Feeling: The Great American Smoke”, in Time, retrieved 30 Mar 2014. From the entry oral gratification
Lagom seems to be fighting a losing battle against a world run by the instant gratification of social media, where we all want to be seen and be heard.2017, Lola A. Åkerström, Lagom: The Swedish Secret of Living Well, page 178. From the entry lagom
To bogart his way past resistance to instant gratification, whether it was for advantage in a one-on-one at the hoops or with a woman in bed.2013, Sandra Kitt, Family Affairs, Open Road Media, →ISBN. From the entry bogart
To the gratification of many local whites, an all-white jury acquitted Brown of the charge of murder and ruled that the shooting of the whitecapper had been a justifiable homicide.1993, William Fitzhugh Brundage, Lynching in the New South: Georgia and Virginia, 1880–1930, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois…. From the entry whitecapper

Meaning of gratification

noun The act of gratifying or pleasing, either the mind, or the appetite or taste.
noun A gratuity; a reward.
noun A feeling of pleasure; satisfaction.

Full definition of gratification

Questions about gratification in a sentence

How do you use gratification in a sentence?: Gratification is used as a noun. For example: “Many of the so-called rites of these secret societies were so patently ridiculous, that it is quite obvious that they were merely an excuse for men and women to indulge in sex-play and lustful gratification, frequently of an abnormal kind.”
What is a short sentence with gratification?: “Smoking is, at heart, oral gratification.”
What does gratification mean?: Gratification means the act of gratifying or pleasing, either the mind, or the appetite or taste.

Adapted from Wiktionary: gratification (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use gratification in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/gratification. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.