unthankful

/' n' kful/

Thân thiện

An unthankful child frowns after receiving a gift.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Not feeling or showing gratitude; ungrateful: Describes a person who does not express or feel thankfulness for kindness or benefits received.

Usage

The word "unthankful" is used to characterize a person's attitude or behavior as lacking in gratitude. It is a formal synonym for "ungrateful." * It typically modifies a noun (e.g., an unthankful child, an unthankful attitude). * It can be used predicatively after a linking verb like "be" or "seem" (e.g., He was unthankful for their help).

Examples

• The unthankful guest left without so much as a word of thanks for the hospitality.
• She felt it was a waste of effort to help such an unthankful person.
• "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is / To have a thankless child!" - Shakespeare (Here, "thankless" is synonymous with "unthankful").

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used in a broader, more literary sense to describe a situation or era that does not yield the appreciation or reward deserved.
  • The poet toiled in unthankful obscurity for decades before being recognized.

Variants and Related Words

• Ungrateful (adj.): The more common and frequently used synonym for "unthankful."
• Thankless (adj.):
  • (Of a person) Not expressing or feeling gratitude; ungrateful.
  • (Of a task or role) Not likely to be appreciated or rewarded.

    • Cleaning up after the party is a thankless job.

Synonyms

• Ungrateful
• Thankless
• Unappreciative

Antonyms

• Thankful
• Grateful
• Appreciative

Related Idioms

• To look a gift horse in the mouth: To be unthankful or critical of a gift or favor one has received.
  • They offered you a free place to stay; don't look a gift horse in the mouth by complaining about the room.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. not feeling or showing gratitude
   • ungrateful heirs
   • How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is / To have a thankless child!- Shakespeare

Từ đồng nghĩa

• ungrateful
• thankless