tilfredsstillende

Tilfredsstillende is a Norwegian adjective meaning satisfactory, acceptable, or fulfilling specified standards. It is formed from the verb tilfredsstille, “to satisfy,” combined with the present participle suffix -ende, and is used to describe something that meets defined requirements or expectations. The term is common in both everyday speech and formal writing.

In usage, tilfredsstillende describes outcomes, evidence, performances, or responses that meet or exceed minimum criteria. It typically signals adequacy rather than excellence. Examples include: “Rapporten gir tilfredsstillende forklaring på observasjonene,” meaning the report provides a satisfactory explanation of the observations, and “Resultatene var tilfredsstillende og oppfylte kravene,” meaning the results were satisfactory and fulfilled the requirements. The phrase can modify nouns directly, as in “en tilfredsstillende løsning.”

Nuance and scope: tilfredsstillende carries a neutral to positive tone, indicating that a standard has been met without implying exceptional quality. In evaluation, policy, journalism, and science, it is often used to convey compliance or adequacy rather than praise.

Translations and related terms: in English, tilfredsstillende is most commonly rendered as satisfactory or adequate. Related Norwegian terms include tilfreds, meaning “satisfied,” and other evaluative words such as tilfredsstillende (as a noun-adjective form) used across formal and informal contexts.