unfulfilling

U1N1F4U1L1F4I1L1L1I1N1G2

adjective

Not producing fulfillment or a sense of accomplishment; unsatisfying.

OriginEnglish fulfilling ← Middle English un- ← Old English un- →
UncommonScrabble 19
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Meanings

adjectiveunfulfilling (comparative more unfulfilling, superlative most unfulfilling)

comparative more unfulfilling · superlative most unfulfilling

  1. Not producing fulfillment or a sense of accomplishment; unsatisfying.

    The work ethic . . . is most seriously challenged by the technological revolution, which (at least potentially) has abolished scarcity and has made many kinds of work unfulfilling or even unnecessary.

    1971 September 20, “Nixon in the Pulpit: Economic Evangelism”, in Time

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishfulfilling
  9. Englishunfulfilling

From un- + fulfilling.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unfulfilling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfulfilling

MLA

“unfulfilling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfulfilling. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unfulfilling,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfulfilling.

Source: unfulfilling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.