What does satiation mean?
Satiation is a formal noun meaning the state of being satisfied, especially after eating or drinking. It can also describe the process of satisfying an appetite, desire, or emotional need. In everyday conversation, people usually say that someone is full, satisfied, or has had enough, making satiation especially common in literary, medical, psychological, and educational contexts. The word often carries a sense of completeness or fulfillment rather than simply the absence of hunger. A meal may lead to satiation, and an emotionally satisfying story may provide a similar feeling of intellectual or emotional fulfillment. The related word satiety is also used for the condition of no longer needing food or drink, although satiation more often emphasizes the act or experience of becoming satisfied.
nounThe state of being satisfied, especially after eating or drinking; the condition of having had enough of something. It can also refer to the act of satisfying an appetite or desire.
- The state of being satisfied, especially after eating or drinking.
- The act or process of satisfying an appetite, desire, or need.
- A feeling of being fulfilled or having had enough.
"The children ate until they reached a state of complete satiation."
"After a large meal, he felt a pleasant sense of satiation."
"The novel offered readers emotional satiation rather than an immediate desire for more."
Rarely used in the plural because satiation is normally treated as an uncountable concept or a mass noun.
"The article discusses different forms of emotional satiation."
Satiation names the moment when enough becomes not just sufficient, but complete.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does satiation come from?
The word comes from Latin satiatio, a noun derived from satiare, “to satisfy or fill,” which is related to satur, “sated” or “full.” English borrowed it through Old French and Middle English usage. Its vocabulary relatives include saturate, saturated, saturation, sate, and satiety.
Related word forms
How satiation is actually used
Satiation is formal and relatively literary. It is most often used in discussions of eating, appetite, desire, and emotional or psychological fulfillment; in everyday speech, fullness, satisfaction, or having enough are more common.
Easily confused with satiation
Satiety is the state of being satisfied or no longer hungry, whereas satiation is more often the process or condition of satisfying an appetite or desire.