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.

The below edited version of the conversation gives you a glimpse into the demanding yet deeply fulfilling world of styling athletes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

"To be the nerd behind the scenes, to help the heroes on this Earth saving us from the bad things happening, it's really fulfilling to be able to have a hand in that," Campbell said.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

“Never Be the Same” captures him reaching new artistic heights in a career that has been at turns fulfilling and frustrating.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

“I’m confident we’ll get back to fulfilling that promise.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

If we leave, he will be incapable of fulfilling two of the three demands Max had of him.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

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