ungrateful

ungrateful — adjective

1. describes a person who does not thank others or show appreciation for help, gift

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a person who does not thank others or show appreciation for help, gifts, or kind actions they have received

Example

Rachel felt it was ungrateful not to thank Wei for cooking dinner.

it + be + ungrateful + to-infinitive — structure for describing actions as ungrateful

Élise called her brother ungrateful after he ignored their grandmother's gift.

Common collocations
  • ungrateful person / child / guest / friend
  • ungrateful attitude / response / silence / behaviour
  • seem ungrateful
  • feel ungrateful
  • call someone ungrateful
  • ungrateful toward someone
  • ungrateful for something
  • ungrateful of someone to do something
Synonyms
  • unthankful

    much rarer and more formal or literary; nearly interchangeable with ungrateful but far less common in everyday speech

  • unappreciative

    focuses on failing to value or recognize something rather than failing to express thanks; can apply to situations, art, or efforts, not just personal favours

  • ill-mannered

    broader term covering any lack of good manners, not specifically about gratitude

Antonyms
  • grateful

    the direct opposite; showing or expressing thanks

  • thankful

    very close synonym of grateful, often used interchangeably; slightly more focused on feeling relieved rather than showing thanks

  • appreciative

    emphasizes recognizing and valuing what someone has done

Grammar Patterns

ungrateful + noun (person or behaviour)

it + be + ungrateful + to-infinitive: describing an action as ungrateful

Usage Note

Frequently used in the 'it is ungrateful (of somebody) to do something' structure, which shifts the focus from the person to the action itself. The subject can be a person, or a noun describing a person's behaviour or response (like 'attitude' or 'silence').

Common Mistakes

She was ungrateful that he helped her.
She was ungrateful for his help.
'ungrateful' is rarely followed by a that-clause; use a noun phrase after 'for' instead.
He acted ungrateful toward her kindness.
He acted ungrateful toward her.
'ungrateful toward' is followed by a person, not a thing; use 'ungrateful for' before a thing or action.

2. describes a difficult or unpleasant job, duty, or role, typically involving bad

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a difficult or unpleasant job, duty, or role, typically involving bad news or work nobody wants to do

Example

Tariq found himself stuck with the ungrateful role of announcing the layoffs.

collocation: ungrateful role / task / work — the key noun patterns for this sense

Rachid said jury duty was ungrateful work, but someone had to do it.

Common collocations
  • ungrateful role
  • ungrateful task
  • ungrateful work
  • ungrateful labour
  • ungrateful duty
  • ungrateful position
  • find oneself in an ungrateful role
  • be stuck with an ungrateful task
Synonyms
  • thankless

    the closest synonym; used in nearly identical contexts (a thankless task / an ungrateful task), but 'thankless' is more common in everyday English

  • unpleasant

    broader and less specific; any disagreeable experience, not just tasks that go unappreciated

  • unrewarding

    focuses on the lack of personal satisfaction or benefit rather than the unpleasantness

Antonyms
  • rewarding

    describes work that brings satisfaction or recognition

  • fulfilling

    emphasizes personal fulfilment rather than external gratitude

Grammar Patterns

ungrateful + noun describing a job, duty, or role

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense does NOT describe people who lack gratitude. It only modifies tasks, roles, duties, or situations. The closest equivalent is 'thankless' (a thankless task = an ungrateful task). This sense is less common in everyday conversation and more typical in written or formal contexts.

Common Mistakes

My boss is very ungrateful.' (when meaning the boss is unpleasant)
My boss gave me an ungrateful task.
This sense describes work, not people. Use sense 1 to describe a person who does not show thanks.

❌ 'It was an ungrateful job, but someone had to do it.' (correct sentence, but do not use with personal subjects) — correct for tasks, but never use this sense to describe a person directly.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Ungrateful is by far the most common and versatile word for someone who fails to show thanks. Unthankful is much rarer and sounds more formal or literary; it is nearly interchangeable with ungrateful but rarely used in everyday speech. Thankless is different in scope — it typically describes a difficult task that brings no gratitude (a thankless job) rather than a person who fails to express thanks. Unappreciative focuses on a lack of value recognition rather than a lack of expressed gratitude; a person can be unappreciative of art without being ungrateful toward anyone. For example: 'After years of financial support, his ungrateful daughter never visited.' vs. 'Cleaning public restrooms is often a thankless job.' vs. 'The critics were unappreciative of the artist's new direction.'

ungrateful ↗unthankfulthanklessunappreciative

Common collocations

Nouns

  • an ungrateful person
  • an ungrateful attitude
  • an ungrateful response

Adverbs

  • terribly ungrateful
  • deeply ungrateful
  • so ungrateful
  • rather ungrateful

Phrases

  • seem ungrateful
  • come across as ungrateful
  • feel ungrateful

Prepositions

  • ungrateful toward (a person)
  • ungrateful for (a thing or favour)
  • ungrateful of (someone to do something)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') and 'grateful', which came from Latin 'gratus' meaning 'pleasing, thankful'. The word first appeared in English around the 1550s. The secondary sense of 'unpleasant' or 'thankless' (sense 2) developed later, applied to tasks or roles that bring no gratitude or satisfaction.