ungrateful

adjective

un·​grate·​ful ˌən-ˈgrāt-fəl How to pronounce ungrateful (audio)
1
: showing no gratitude : making a poor return
an ungrateful child
2
ungratefully adverb
ungratefulness noun

Examples of ungrateful in a Sentence

I don't mean to seem ungrateful. the park's custodial staff has the ungrateful job of cleaning up after the Independence Day party is over
Recent Examples on the Web Perspective Carolyn Hax: Dad struggles with wedding toast to ‘selfish’ and ‘ungrateful’... Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 After reading Paul Krugman’s column, I am again brought to the opinion that Americans are the most ungrateful people on God’s green earth. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2024 And please don't misinterpret my venting for being ungrateful. Christina Crawford, Parents, 7 Dec. 2023 Russia has long been skilled at manipulating divisions in Western societies and at exploiting those fissures for its benefit and has used the trucking issue to paint Ukrainians as ungrateful and untrustworthy, experts say. Marc Santora, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023 He’s portrayed by Michael Fassbender as ungrateful and bitter, a chair-throwing alcoholic who is separated from his wife, initially pushes Saelua to quit the team and struggles to convince Salapu to play for him. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Gratitude tie-in: Being ungrateful and rejecting food is doubly wasteful: of the food itself and of the caretaker’s work. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023 The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023 Check out this list of the best Carolyn Hax columns about setting boundaries, dealing with ungrateful people, reassessing sibling relationships and more. Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ungrateful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ungrateful was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near ungrateful

Cite this Entry

“Ungrateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ungrateful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ungrateful

adjective
un·​grate·​ful ˌən-ˈgrāt-fəl How to pronounce ungrateful (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not thankful for favors
an ungrateful child
2
: not pleasing : disagreeable
an ungrateful task
ungratefully adverb
ungratefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ungrateful

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