rewarding
Americanadjective
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affording satisfaction, valuable experience, or the like; worthwhile.
-
affording financial or material gain; profitable.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rewarding
Explanation
Things that satisfy you or make you happy are rewarding. Even if you love to learn, the most rewarding part of going to school for many of us is making good friends. The word reward is obvious when you look at the adjective rewarding, and rewarding things do give you a kind of reward. Rather than cash for finding a neighbor's lost cat, though, the reward you get from something rewarding is pleasure or satisfaction. Watching a great movie is rewarding, and so is doing something kind for another person. You might even get lucky and have a rewarding career, or even a rewarding life.
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.
Price said is was very rewarding for the cathedral to support the service, adding that it is not just about the food.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
"From selecting materials and 3D printing, to troubleshooting electronics and satisfying requirements, working collaboratively with Yuji and Xinyu has been extremely rewarding," Mr. Kogios said.
From Science Daily • May 2, 2026
The pharmaceutical company plans to invest $405.5 million in the U.K., reversing its previous decision to pause planned investments amid worries the country wasn’t rewarding innovation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
They read “Anna Karenina” and “Crime and Punishment,” an experience they agree was challenging but rewarding.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
A gradual rise in population densities impelled people to obtain more food, by rewarding those who unconsciously took steps toward producing it.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
