VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

thankful

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈθæŋkfəl/
US/ˈθæŋkfəl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Feeling pleased and grateful for something good that has happened.

    Grammar: Often followed by for or that: thankful for your help; thankful that she was safe.

    Patterns

    • thankful for something
    • thankful that something happened
    • thankful to someone

    I am thankful for my family's support.

    She was thankful that the storm had missed the town.

    We are thankful to everyone who helped.

  2. adjectiveafter a verb

    Relieved that something bad did not happen.

    Grammar: Usually with that: thankful that no one was hurt.

    Patterns

    • thankful that something

    He was thankful that the test was over.

    They were thankful no one was injured in the crash.

    I am just thankful it did not rain.

  3. adjectivebefore a noun

    Showing or expressing thanks.

    Grammar: Before a noun: a thankful smile.

    Patterns

    • a thankful smile

    She gave a thankful nod.

    His thankful letter touched the nurses.

    The crowd offered a thankful cheer.

Word forms

comparativemore thankful
superlativemost thankful

Common combinations

thankful for
I am thankful for your honesty.
thankful that
We are thankful that you came.
truly thankful
She was truly thankful for the gift.
be thankful
Be thankful that it was not worse.
thankful heart
He lived with a thankful heart.

Synonyms and how they differ

grateful
Grateful is nearly the same, but it more often follows a particular favor and takes to someone.
appreciative
Appreciative suggests recognizing the value of something, with less feeling of relief.
relieved
Relieved is only about the end of a worry, not gratitude.
obliged
Obliged is formal and stresses a debt of thanks.

Opposites

ungratefulunthankful

Word family

thanks noun
words of gratitude
thank verb
to say you are grateful
thankfully adverb
luckily, or in a grateful way
thankfulness noun
the feeling of gratitude

Commonly confused: thankful or thankless?

thankful vs thankless

A thankless job is one that gets no gratitude; thankful is the feeling of giving thanks.

Practice

We are very ___ that the rescue team arrived before dark.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “thankful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words