unfulfilled

adjective

un·​ful·​filled ˌən-fu̇(l)-ˈfild 

 also  -fə(l)-

: not fulfilled:

a

: not filled : unsatisfied, unmet

… vital unfulfilled needs of the nation …

—Harry Truman

b

: not carried out : not accomplished or finished

unfulfilled goals

unfulfilled shipments

c

: not converted into reality

an unfulfilled promise

d

: not having reached a point of satisfaction or happiness

… a family that includes a supportive yet equally unfulfilled wife …

—Matt Roush

Examples of unfulfilled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That promise is unfulfilled as yet, however, as little money has reached the lower economic sectors of Bolivia's population to date. —Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

The heart of the story involves a romantic epiphany that’s also an unspoken recognition of homosexual desire; Michèle’s matchmaking scheme is a vicarious replacement for something that’s doomed to go unfulfilled. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025

But as these two former sunshines knit together in a love that has been unfulfilled till now, a new beginning comes out of the ashes of the past. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025

She will be determined not to become a tale of promise unfulfilled. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unfulfilled

• backfilled
• distilled
• fulfilled
• infilled
• instilled
• rebuild
• refilled
• unfilled
• unskilled
• untilled
• billed
• build