thankful

thankful — adjective

1. feeling pleased and grateful because something good has happened, or because som

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling pleased and grateful because something good has happened, or because something bad was avoided — for example, being thankful for a friend's help, or thankful that nobody got hurt in a car accident.

Example

Nadia was thankful for her sister's help while she was sick.

thankful + for + noun phrase (specific benefit received)

The Okonkwo family were thankful that no one was hurt in the storm.

thankful + that-clause (relief that bad thing did not happen)

Common collocations
  • thankful for
  • thankful that
  • deeply thankful
  • truly thankful
  • so thankful
  • thankful to + verb
Synonyms
  • grateful

    Everyday synonym; both are very close, but grateful often stresses appreciation for a kindness done to you personally.

  • appreciative

    More formal than thankful; emphasises recognising the value or quality of what was given.

  • relieved

    Focuses on the release from worry or fear, which may accompany being thankful but is not the same as gratitude.

Antonyms
  • ungrateful

    Not showing or feeling thanks for something that was given or done.

  • unappreciative

    Failing to recognise the value of what someone has done for you.

Grammar Patterns

thankful + for + noun phrase

thankful + to-infinitive

thankful + that-clause

Usage Note

Frequently followed by for + noun phrase, a to-infinitive, or a that-clause. The for-form points to the specific benefit or kindness received; the that-form emphasises relief that something bad did not happen. Can be used with linking verbs such as be, feel, seem, and become.

Common Mistakes

I am thankful you for your advice.
I am thankful for your advice.
The preposition for must come before the noun phrase.
She was thankfully for the gift.
She was thankful for the gift.
Thankful is an adjective; thankfully is an adverb.
Idioms

be thankful for small mercies

idiom

to be grateful for minor good things in a difficult situation, rather than complaining about what is still bad.

The train was two hours late, but we were thankful for small mercies that it did not get cancelled.

Eve broke her arm but not her leg, so her mother told her to be thankful for small mercies.

be grateful/thankful for small mercies

idiom

To feel satisfied because a bad situation is less bad than it could have been.

Maya lost her wallet, but she was grateful for small mercies that her phone was safe.

The rain ruined our picnic, but we were thankful for small mercies that no one got sick.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Thankful and grateful are very close and often interchangeable, but grateful tends to stress a warm appreciation for a favour or kindness someone has done for you, while thankful carries a broader sense of relief that things turned out well — even when no person is directly responsible (thankful that the storm passed). Appreciative is more formal and highlights recognising the quality or thoughtfulness of what was given, as in an appreciative audience. Relieved overlaps when the thankful feeling comes from avoiding something bad, but relieved centres on the release of anxiety rather than gratitude. For example: you are grateful to a friend who lent you money; you are thankful the bank approved your loan; you are appreciative of a detailed reference letter; you are relieved the dentist said you had no cavities.

grateful ↗thankful ↗appreciativerelieved ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Thankful comes from Old English þancful, meaning 'thoughtful' or 'grateful'. It is made from þanc ('thought, gratitude') and -ful ('full of'). The modern meaning of feeling or showing gratitude was already established by early Middle English.