These two adjectives are used of things related to marriage. Matrimonial is derived from the noun “matrimony,” which appears in the Christian phrasing used by ministers to formally unite two people “in holy matrimony.” Thus, matrimonial can evoke the solemnity of the religious sacrament of marriage, but also the duties and obligations of marriage as a legal contract. It is most commonly used in a legal context, as in matrimonial law or property, although you will occasionally see matrimonial bliss. Connubial is an elevated word, and less familiar, but at heart also less starchy. Its most frequent use by far is in the phrase connubial bliss, and it is used to describe the human experience of actual married life, with its potential for connubial affection, fervor, and joy.

Both words refer to fulfilling a person’s needs, wants, demands, or desires. Satisfy, which comes from a Latin word meaning “to do enough,” means to do or provide enough to fulfill a desire or meet a need or requirement (satisfied his wish for amusement, satisfies the math requirements). Someone who has been satisfied is content, no longer feeling a lack. Someone who is gratified experiences pleasure along with satisfaction. Gratify can imply pleasing someone by satisfying their explicit wish or desire, but you can also gratify vanity, pride or other selfish or base desires—perhaps by providing admiration or recognition. Depending on the context, gratify can have a negative connotation of indulgence or a neutral or positive connotation (gratified to hear of her friend’s recovery).

Mislead and delude both refer to bringing about errors of thought, judgment, or conduct. Mislead suggests leading someone into thinking untrue things or doing the wrong thing, with or without an intent to deceive (misled by the decades-old profile photo, ads that mislead consumers). It stops short of outright deception or lies, but is still usually negative. Delude always implies deception. It refers to inducing beliefs in what is imaginary or unreal. Its most frequent use is self-reflexive: people deluding themselves, out of ignorance, egotism, or wishful thinking (deluding herself into believing she could sing). Typical external agents of delusion are rhetoric, images, and leaders, whose target is often the public. The deluded are often characterized as pitiable or pathetic victims of their own minds.