Ask about English: Satisfying / Satisfactory

Well Ha, thank you very much for your question about the difference between "satisfying" and "satisfactory".

"Satisfactory" means that something is adequate, or acceptable. Whereas "satisfying" means that something meets your needs or requirements and has positive associations.

So what would be the difference between a "satisfactory" meal and a "satisfying" one?

In the first case the meal was ok, in the second case it was one that you enjoyed.

So generally we prefer to have "satisfying" experiences to "satisfactory" ones.