fulfilling

American

[fool-fil-ing] / fʊlˈfɪl ɪŋ /

adjective

satisfying or rewarding, especially by meeting the emotional need for meaning, challenge, growth, success, etc..

The young graduates were looking forward to the adventure of growing personally, gaining new skills, and embarking on a fulfilling career.

Usage

What does fulfilling mean? Fulfilling means providing or resulting in satisfaction or contentment.A job is fulfilling when it allows a person to fully use their talents and work on projects that they enjoy and that they find meaning in. A relationship is fulfilling for someone when it brings them happiness and a deep connection.Fulfilling is also the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb fulfill, meaning “to satisfy” or “to bring about” (which is how it’s used in the term self-fulfilling, as in self-fulfilling prophecy).Something that’s fulfilling leads to fulfillment—a state of satisfaction or contentment. Someone who feels this way can be described as fulfilled.Example: My trip across Europe has been so fulfilling—I’ve learned new languages and new cultures, and, most importantly, I’ve learned new things about myself.

Etymology

Origin of fulfilling

First recorded in 1300–50; fulfill ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With no official data available at the time, Omar asked himself: "If the government is not fulfilling its mandate to monitor air pollution, why don't I do that for myself?"

From Barron's

Yet the track is awkward and doesn’t come close to fulfilling its promise, because Rocky has very little to say.

From The Wall Street Journal

He found it more "fulfilling" than some film shoots.

From BBC

"Seeing our research in action at farms like Preston Farms is incredibly fulfilling," Lock says.

From Science Daily

Dynes has also suddenly become a key piece in the Trojans rotation, fulfilling the hype that accompanied him in the preseason.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023