thankfully

thankfully — adverb

1. used before a statement to express happiness or relief that something good happe

1.adverbB1
Definition

used before a statement to express happiness or relief that something good happened or a bad thing did not happen

Example

Thankfully, the rain stopped just before the outdoor wedding ceremony began.

thankfully + [positive outcome clause] at start of sentence

Nikhil's passport was thankfully still in his coat pocket when he checked.

Synonyms
  • fortunately

    more neutral than 'thankfully'; does not imply personal gratitude, just good luck

  • luckily

    emphasises chance rather than divine or personal gratitude; more informal

  • happily

    focuses on the positive outcome rather than relief that something bad was avoided

Antonyms
  • unfortunately

    the direct opposite — expresses regret about a bad outcome

  • regrettably

    more formal than 'unfortunately'; expresses disappointment

Grammar Patterns

Thankfully + [clause]

[Clause], thankfully

Usage Note

Only this sense functions as a sentence adverb, placed at the start of a sentence or before the main verb. It expresses the speaker's relief, not the manner of an action. Compare: 'Thankfully, he accepted the offer' (sense 1 — the speaker is relieved) with 'He accepted the offer thankfully' (sense 2 — he accepted with gratitude).

Common Mistakes

He thankfully smiled at the donation.' (when meaning he smiled with gratitude).
He smiled thankfully at the donation.
sense 1 modifies the whole sentence; to describe how someone does an action, use sense 2 after the verb.

2. behaving or speaking in a way that shows you feel grateful or thankful

2.adverbB2
Definition

behaving or speaking in a way that shows you feel grateful or thankful

Example

The refugee family smiled thankfully at the volunteers who brought them food and blankets.

verb (smiled) + thankfully: manner of expressing gratitude

Wei accepted the scholarship money thankfully, knowing it would change his future.

Common collocations
  • smile thankfully
  • nod thankfully
  • accept thankfully
  • speak thankfully of
  • receive thankfully
Synonyms
  • gratefully

    nearly identical; 'gratefully' is slightly more common in this manner-adverb role

  • appreciatively

    focuses on recognising the value of what was done rather than on gratitude itself

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[Verb] + thankfully

Usage Note

This sense is less common than sense 1 in everyday conversation. It modifies a verb describing an action of receiving, accepting, or expressing thanks, and typically appears after the verb. If you move this adverb to the front of the sentence, the meaning shifts to sense 1 (the speaker's relief, not the subject's gratitude).

Common Mistakes

Thankfully, she nodded.' (when meaning she nodded with gratitude).
She nodded thankfully.
placing 'thankfully' at the start changes the meaning from manner (sense 2) to sentence-adverb relief (sense 1).

Word family

  • thank
    verbA2
  • thanks
    nounA2
  • thankful
    adjectiveB1
  • thankfulness
    nounC1
  • thankless
    adjectiveC1
  • thanklessly
    adverbC2
  • unthankful
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words express a positive assessment of an outcome, but they differ in what they emphasise. 'Thankfully' carries the strongest sense of personal relief and often suggests the speaker is grateful that something bad was avoided. 'Fortunately' is more neutral and objective — it points to good luck or favourable circumstances without implying personal thanks. 'Luckily' is the most informal of the group and emphasises chance or coincidence, making it less suitable for serious contexts. 'Happily' focuses on the positive nature of the outcome rather than on relief or luck. For example: 'The flight was cancelled, but thankfully we got a full refund' (relief at avoiding a loss); 'Fortunately, another airline had seats available' (neutral favourable timing); 'Luckily, I found a parking spot right away' (informal, chance-based).

thankfully ↗fortunately ↗luckily ↗happily ↗

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly' to 'thankful', which itself comes from Old English 'þancful', meaning 'full of thought or gratitude'. The core word 'thank' traces back to Proto-Germanic *þankaz (thought, gratitude), with relatives in Old Norse 'þǫkk' and Gothic 'þagks'. The sentence-adverb use (sense 1) emerged in the 20th century and became the more common meaning, while the original manner-adverb use (sense 2) has remained in formal writing.