US /ˈsætəsˌfaɪs/ UK /ˈsætɪsˌfaɪs/
verb

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    to accept an adequate rather than optimal option

    Under time pressure, managers tend to satisfice rather than optimize.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 verb · to accept an adequate... sufficesettle
Opposites
Word family
Derived forms satisficingsatisficer

Etymology

A blend of satisfy and suffice, originally a dialectal variant of satisfy and revived by economist Herbert Simon in the 1950s; ultimately from Latin satisfacere ('to do enough').

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