as in self-actualization
the feeling of being happy and satisfied because you are doing something that fully uses your abilities and talents
She found self-fulfillment by starting her own business.
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Recent Examples of self-fulfillment
But this is a Norman Lear comedy after all (his last before passing in late 2023) — so by the end of the first episode, the hilarious sitcom has revealed its true interest in acceptance, forgiveness, and self-fulfillment.
—
Michael Cuby, Them., 17 Nov. 2025
And increasingly, women are choosing solitude and self-fulfillment over unsatisfying relationships.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Founders have a wide range of personal reasons for making the pivot, from seeking self-fulfillment to meeting a strategic need in their next chapter.
—Nina Ajemian, Fortune, 24 July 2025
Turner-Seed’s own writing lays bare a struggle for self-fulfillment, to reconcile the traditional values pushed by her Jewish immigrant parents with a restless need to discover and make her own way.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
The film explores the dilemma of choosing between self-fulfillment and familial obligations, showing how Joyce learns to embrace her mother’s modern family business and reflecting on the challenges of a globalized generation.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Maslow's model highlights the importance of psychological and self-fulfillment needs.
—Raquel Gomes, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
These cultures tend to view divorce as a justifiable and often necessary step toward self-fulfillment.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
This is Mascaro’s most humane film to date, which isn’t to say that August Winds and Neon Bull weren’t also grounded in the individual’s struggle for self-fulfillment outside the strictures of bourgeois circumscribed society.
—Jay D. Weissberg, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
Michael Cuby, Them., 17 Nov. 2025
And increasingly, women are choosing solitude and self-fulfillment over unsatisfying relationships.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Founders have a wide range of personal reasons for making the pivot, from seeking self-fulfillment to meeting a strategic need in their next chapter.
—Nina Ajemian, Fortune, 24 July 2025
Turner-Seed’s own writing lays bare a struggle for self-fulfillment, to reconcile the traditional values pushed by her Jewish immigrant parents with a restless need to discover and make her own way.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
The film explores the dilemma of choosing between self-fulfillment and familial obligations, showing how Joyce learns to embrace her mother’s modern family business and reflecting on the challenges of a globalized generation.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Maslow's model highlights the importance of psychological and self-fulfillment needs.
—Raquel Gomes, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
These cultures tend to view divorce as a justifiable and often necessary step toward self-fulfillment.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
This is Mascaro’s most humane film to date, which isn’t to say that August Winds and Neon Bull weren’t also grounded in the individual’s struggle for self-fulfillment outside the strictures of bourgeois circumscribed society.
—Jay D. Weissberg, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-fulfillment
- self-actualization
- self-realization
- self-discovery
- self-exploration
- meditation
- introspection
- self-reflection
- self-examination
Noun
-
The adaptation stars Ella Bruccoleri as the eponymous Mary, who goes on a voyage of self-actualization in London.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
-
His sociopathy is the logical extension of a homicidal ethos of self-actualization, self-realization, and self-care.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Post vague quotes about self-realization that are universal but ultimately mean nothing.—
Emily Menez,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
-
His experiment in self-realization put him in a long line of spiritual seekers, and like innumerable young persons in every generation, he was actively engaged in evolving a design for living, drawing from sources near to and farther from home.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hsu shines as Janet, whose trip to the castle inspires a self-discovery journey that evolves from wide-eyed, tightly wound innocence to brash confidence.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
What begins as a secret fling between two rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After a whole lot of angst and self-exploration.—
Tina Eves,
SPIN,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The exploration of others is simultaneously a self-exploration.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Studies have shown that meditation can help lower blood pressure, boost immunity, improve sleep, and slow memory loss.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Over the course of the day and evening, old secrets, resentments, and regrets bubble up to the surface and Altman crafts a devastating meditation on memory, identity, and the necessity as well as the danger of a vivid fantasy life.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
But these flexes are buoyed by wistful introspection.—
Harry Thorfinn-George,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Every Male Actor Gets A Role WWII movies are a hard genre to stand out in, but Malick succeeds through introspection, inspired by the novel’s study of character amidst brutal chaos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Everyone experiences moments of existential despair, when one bad day or cataclysmic event sends you into a headspace that’s some combination of panic and self-reflection.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
3 May 2026
-
In the meantime, amid the music, classes, and self-reflection, Bistline is building herself back one step at a time.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Rolling Stone,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
The shift from institutional blame to self-examination is where the film found its real subject.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Yet her songs remain disarmingly human, meditating on desire, vulnerability, and self-examination.—
Marcus J. Moore,
Pitchfork,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-fulfillment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-fulfillment. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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