fulfilling
Americanadjective
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.
Either Bitcoin is suddenly behaving like a haven asset again—after its initial fall—or it’s fulfilling its more recent role as a leading risk indicator while other markets are closed.
From Barron's
“It felt so fulfilling to wake up and think, ‘I’m going to outwork everybody around me and be more creative than them.’”
From Los Angeles Times
And, speaking ahead of fulfilling that ambition, Donnelly, who is now based in Norfolk, England, said he's "living the dream".
From BBC
Resendez noted that his group’s research also shows a dichotomy in the emotional experience of caregiving — it’s hard, but at the same time fulfilling.
From MarketWatch
Altman has acknowledged technology’s role in disrupting jobs but says it can also create new, more fulfilling roles.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
