Thankless

adj

adj ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    not appreciated or rewarded not-comparable

    "In a raucous atmosphere, it was an unforgiving and physical contest from the start. Grant Hanley conceded the first free-kick within the opening 20 seconds, setting the tone for a busy and thankless evening for Serbian referee Milorad Mazic."

  2. 2
    ungrateful or unappreciative not-comparable
Adjective
  1. 1
    not feeling or showing gratitude wordnet
  2. 2
    not likely to be rewarded wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
ungratefulunthankfulbadbitterbootlesscareless

Example

More examples

""But why the thankless story should ye hear? / Why stay your hand? If Grecians in your sight / are all alike, ye know enough; take here / your vengeance. Dearly will my death delight / Ulysses, well the deed will Atreus' sons requite.""

Etymology

From Middle English thankles, equivalent to thank + -less.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.