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unsatisfied

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Etymology and origin of the English word unsatisfied

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1430 Lydgate, Minor Poems More words from the 15th century
Ultimate origin
Latin satisfaciō

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ʌnˈsætɪsfaɪd/[1]
  • US: /ʌnˈsæt̬ɪsfaɪd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Middle English un- + satisfied,[2][3][4][5][6] the past participle of satisfy.[3][4][6] The verb comes from Old French satisfiier (“to pay, repay, make reparation”), from Latin satisfaciō (“to discharge fully, make amends”), literally "to do enough", from satis (“enough”) and faciō (“to make, do”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not satisfied in respect of something desired, not having got all one wishes for, used predicatively: about 1430, in Lydgate's minor poems.[2] Etymonline dates the word to the late 15th century,[5] and the Middle English Dictionary's only quotation is from about 1475.[6]

Semantic evolution

Its use before a noun is recorded from before 1616, in Shakespeare's Cymbeline.[2] From 1575 it also meant not satisfied in one's mind about a matter, doubtful;[2][7] from 1598, in Love's Labour's Lost, of a debt or claim, not settled by payment;[2] and since before 1648, dissatisfied or displeased with a result.[2][7] The senses "not certain" (1665) and, of a person, "not paid" (1654–1796) are obsolete.[2] Johnson (1755) gave two senses, not contented or pleased, and not filled or gratified to the full.[8] The derivative unsatisfiable is recorded from the 1530s.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1430 – not having obtained all that one desires.[2]
  • 1575 – not convinced; doubtful.[2][7]
  • 1598 – of a debt or claim, not settled by payment.[2][7]
  • before 1648 – displeased with a result; dissatisfied.[2][7]
  • 1654 – of a person, not paid (obsolete by 1796).[2][7]
  • 1665 – not certain of something (obsolete).[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not satisfied or fulfilled; not having got all that one wants: He left the table hungry and unsatisfied.[9][3][2]
  2. Not pleased with a result or circumstance; dissatisfied.[2][8]
  3. Not convinced about a matter; doubtful.[2]
  4. Of a debt, claim or demand, not paid or met.[2][3][9]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  8. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Unsatisfied.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unsatisfied. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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