unfulfilling

adjective

un·​ful·​fill·​ing ˌən-fu̇(l)-ˈfi-liŋ How to pronounce unfulfilling (audio)
 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These two energies together can help you to move forward from a past that felt unfulfilling into a future that’s bright and dynamic. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025 With so many eager to escape unfulfilling careers, strategic tools like ChatGPT prompts have become increasingly helpful to jump start career transitions. Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 Ari is aimless and has made the executive decision to wean himself off his antidepressants; Sam is tortured by the prospect of going straight from college into a boring and unfulfilling career at Morgan Stanley. Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025 But robots are also freeing humans from heavy lifting and repetitive, mindless tasks that, for decades, made factory work both hazardous and unfulfilling. IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unfulfilling

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unfulfilling was in 1822

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Cite this Entry

“Unfulfilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfulfilling. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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