What does sate mean?
To sate is to satisfy a need, appetite, or desire fully and completely. The word is especially associated with food, but it can describe the ending of curiosity, ambition, thirst, or any other kind of desire. Its strong implication is not merely that a want has been met, but that it has been met so thoroughly that the desire is temporarily or permanently quieted. “Sate one’s appetite” is the most familiar expression, while more literary sentences use the verb to suggest final satisfaction. The word can also mean to make someone feel completely full or content. In modern formal writing, “satiate” may be encountered more often, but “sate” remains precise and evocative. Its force lies in the idea of completion: desire has been met not partially but in full.
To satisfy fully an appetite, desire, or need.
"The meal sated their hunger."
Formal and literary; often used with “appetite,” “hunger,” “desire,” or “curiosity.”
Satisfied or full to the point of having no further desire; satiated.
"The satisfied guests remained at the table."
Now rare and literary, and less common in modern usage than the participial form “sated.”
To sate is not merely to satisfy an appetite: it is to satisfy it so completely that further desire is quietened.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sate come from?
The word comes from Old English sadian, meaning to satisfy or fill, and ultimately relates to Latin satiare, “to fill, satisfy, or sate.” The Latin word is connected with satis, meaning “enough,” which also underlies English words such as “satiate” and “satiety.” The verb entered Middle English in its older sense and developed the modern emphasis on satisfying a desire completely.
Related word forms
How sate is actually used
The word is formal and somewhat literary in contemporary English. It often suggests a degree of fullness or satisfaction that leaves little desire for more.
Easily confused with sate
“Sate” is the verb describing the act of satisfying someone fully, whereas “sated” is the adjective describing the resulting feeling or condition.
Both can mean to satisfy fully, but “sate” is the shorter and more traditional verb form, while “satiate” is especially common in formal and technical contexts.