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.

See Examples For:

fulfilling

But a noisy portion of the British public is questioning whether the museum is fulfilling Burnham’s commitment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Cooke added that along with standard punishments for not fulfilling a fixture, there was were also possible "undetermined" extras.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

“He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do,” the statement said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026