unfulfilling
adjective
un·ful·fill·ing
ˌən-fu̇(l)-ˈfi-liŋ 
also -fə(l)-
: not providing happiness or satisfaction : not fulfilling
an unfulfilling job/relationship
Examples of unfulfilling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her business supplying fabric for lampshades was lucrative but unfulfilling.
—
Hannah Beech, New York Times, 30 June 2023
But in Boston, where legacies are determined by championships, the run has been encouraging yet unfulfilling.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023
After a summer where many music festivals felt anticlimactic and unfulfilling (Was standing on dirt or gravel for hours on end ever fun?), AmericanaFest 2022 delivered one of its most satisfying and diverse weeks in the history of the Nashville event.
—Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2022
That's the obvious—but unfulfilling—answer so far.
—Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Jan. 2021
Participants were willing to stick with an unfulfilling relationship for nearly 300 days past its expiration date, in fact, so long as that relationship had already lasted for a decade or longer.
—Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2023
Many women, especially in older generations but even now, do make that decision to stay in unfulfilling marriages for financial reasons.
—Meredith Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Jan. 2023
In turn, the work and the DEIB leader’s potential get shrunk to an unfulfilling small size.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 22 Dec. 2022
Following the rules of thermal equilibrium, the warmer ingredients have transferred their heat to the cooler ones, making for a handy, portable but ultimately lukewarm and unfulfilling dish.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2022
Hannah Beech, New York Times, 30 June 2023
But in Boston, where legacies are determined by championships, the run has been encouraging yet unfulfilling.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023
After a summer where many music festivals felt anticlimactic and unfulfilling (Was standing on dirt or gravel for hours on end ever fun?), AmericanaFest 2022 delivered one of its most satisfying and diverse weeks in the history of the Nashville event.
—Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2022
That's the obvious—but unfulfilling—answer so far.
—Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Jan. 2021
Participants were willing to stick with an unfulfilling relationship for nearly 300 days past its expiration date, in fact, so long as that relationship had already lasted for a decade or longer.
—Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2023
Many women, especially in older generations but even now, do make that decision to stay in unfulfilling marriages for financial reasons.
—Meredith Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Jan. 2023
In turn, the work and the DEIB leader’s potential get shrunk to an unfulfilling small size.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 22 Dec. 2022
Following the rules of thermal equilibrium, the warmer ingredients have transferred their heat to the cooler ones, making for a handy, portable but ultimately lukewarm and unfulfilling dish.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfulfilling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unfulfilling
Cite this Entry
“Unfulfilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfulfilling. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share