rewarding

adjective

re·​ward·​ing ri-ˈwȯr-diŋ How to pronounce rewarding (audio)
Synonyms of rewardingnext
1
: yielding or likely to yield a reward : valuable, satisfying
a rewarding experience
2
: serving as a reward
a rewarding smile of thanks
rewardingly adverb

Synonyms of rewarding

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of rewarding in a Sentence

Her work is financially rewarding. pursued a rewarding career providing medical care to poor children in rural areas
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.
By Rick Steves Rick Steves’ Europe With a rich culture, friendly people, affordable prices, and a salty setting on the edge of Europe, Portugal understandably makes a rewarding destination for travelers. — Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026 Reaching out to express gratitude, offer help, or simply listen is consistently rated as more rewarding by the recipient than the initiator expects. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Bebek, Çukurcuma, and Cihangir are among the most rewarding to explore, especially for solo travelers, though anyone who makes the time will likely be drawn in. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026 The most rewarding thing about this has been hearing audiences laugh together, and maybe cry. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rewarding

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rewarding was in 1697

Phrases Containing rewarding

Rhymes for rewarding

See All Rhymes for rewarding

Browse Nearby Words

rewardful
rewarding
rewardless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rewarding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rewarding. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

rewarding

adjective
re·​ward·​ing
: giving satisfaction
a rewarding experience

More from Merriam-Webster on rewarding

Nglish: Translation of rewarding for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rewarding

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All