Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
dissatisfied, unsatisfied (adjs.)
These two are synonyms in the sense “not satisfied,” but they differ in other ways. Dissatisfied means “displeased, discontented, or not satisfied” and usually describes people or other animals: We were dissatisfied with our rooms. The dog seemed dissatisfied when confined to the tiny run. Unsatisfied means “not satisfied, not fulfilled, or left undone” and modifies conditions, needs, and other inanimate matters, as in The appetites of the hungry hikers were left unsatisfied and An unsatisfied requirement in science prevented her graduation, and also modifies persons, where it suggests that their needs are not fully met. Both dissatisfied and unsatisfied combine regularly with the prepositions at, by, with, and after, as in Dissatisfied at [by, with] the filthy state of his room, he complained to the clerk at the desk or She was unsatisfied [dissatisfied] after her meal. Dissatisfied can also combine with about and concerning: My parents were dissatisfied about [concerning] the teacher’s apparent laxity in discipline.
