Fulfilling

How to spell fulfilling

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce fulfilling

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fulfilling mean?

1. adjectiveProviding a deep sense of satisfaction, purpose, or contentment.
2. verbCarrying out, completing, or satisfying a duty, promise, or requirement.

Fulfilling in a sentence

• adjective

  She left banking for a more fulfilling career in teaching.

• verb

  The warehouse staff are busy fulfilling online orders before the holidays.

• adjective

  Volunteering at the shelter proved surprisingly fulfilling.

• verb

  By signing the contract she was fulfilling her side of the agreement.

Where does fulfilling come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English verb fullfyllan, a compound of 'full' and the verb 'fyllan', meaning 'to fill'. The literal sense was therefore 'to fill up completely' or 'to make full', and from that physical image grew the figurative meanings of carrying something out to the end, satisfying a requirement, or bringing a promise to completion. By the medieval period the word had shifted firmly toward 'accomplishing' or 'satisfying' rather than literally filling a container. The modern adjective sense, describing work or a life that brings deep satisfaction, is comparatively recent. A useful spelling note hides in the history: although the base 'full' carries two l letters, the verb form drops one l in the first syllable, giving 'ful-' before the doubled l of 'fill', which is exactly where writers stumble.

How the word is built

• ful- (variant of 'full', completely)
• fil (from 'fill', to make full)
• -ing (present participle / adjective suffix)