Grat"i*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Gratified (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Gratifying (#).] [F. gratifier, L. gratificari;
gratus pleasing + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -
fy.] 1. To please; to give pleasure to; to
satisfy; to soothe; to indulge; as, to gratify the taste, the
appetite, the senses, the desires, the mind, etc.
For who would die to gratify a
foe?
Dryden.
2. To requite; to recompense.
[Obs.]
It remains . . .
To gratify his noble service.
Shak.
Syn. -- To indulge; humor please; delight; requite;
recompense. -- To Gratify, Indulge, Humor.
Gratify, is the generic term, and has reference simply to the
pleasure communicated. To indulge a person implies that we
concede something to his wishes or his weaknesses which he could not
claim, and which had better, perhaps, be spared. To humor is
to adapt ourselves to the varying moods, and, perhaps, caprices, of
others. We gratify a child by showing him the sights of a
large city; we indulge him in some extra expense on such an
occasion; we humor him when he is tired and exacting.
