grateful

adjective grate·ful \ ˈgrāt-fəl \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: grateful in a Sentence

Definition of grateful

1 a : appreciative of benefits received

b : expressing gratitude

grateful thanks

2 a : affording pleasure or contentment : pleasing

b : pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated

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gratefully

play \ˈgrāt-fə-lē\ adverb

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gratefulness

noun

See grateful defined for English-language learners

See grateful defined for kids

Examples of grateful in a Sentence

The voice quacking at the other end of the line sounded surprised and grateful—a young man's eager voice, thankful for the sudden interruption on an otherwise empty afternoon. —Paul Theroux, Granta, Summer 1992
I didn't have to be in love with the man to do this, and my poor body'd probably be grateful to get fed, since it'd been on such a starvation diet. —Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, 1992
Sergeant James Smith was a company clerk, which meant that he carried his commander's maps, Edwards was grateful to learn. —Tom Clancy, Red Storm Rising, 1986
I am grateful for the Latin I took and for the emphasis on English grammar, which seems to have faded from the curriculum. —John Updike, Hugging the Shore, (1983) 1984
The college sent us a grateful acknowledgment of our donation.
I'm grateful to you for your help.
He's grateful for the attention.

Recent Examples of grateful from the Web

While Sam has not worked with us in years, we are saddened by the news of his passing and are grateful to have had him depict Duke.

— bianca padró ocasio, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Bush's Baked Beans dog dies in Apopka," 3 July 2018
Post staffers have been grateful to have an owner willing to invest in the paper.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "The Other Side of Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post," 27 June 2018
Perhaps the Matthews child will be grateful to not have to write out such a long name on legal documents.

— eileen reslen, Town & Country, "Why Pippa Middleton and James Matthews's Baby Will Not Inherit a Royal Title," 19 June 2018
Yannis Papadatos, head of the intensive care unit at the Athens General Children’s Hospital, is similarly grateful.

— yannis palaiologos, The Christian Science Monitor, "Online matchmaker pairs donors with charities in Greece," 15 June 2018
War appears to be off the table, and for that the world can be grateful.

— The Economist, "Dealing with North Korea, Trump puts showmanship first," 14 June 2018
The ThinkProgress team is grateful for the newsroom that Judd built.

— emily dreyfuss, WIRED, "Judd Legum Wants to Fix News With a Newsletter," 12 July 2018
Douglas and his family are forever grateful to the UPenn Lung Center for the gift of life, not once but twice.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Douglas A. Shorts," 20 June 2018
Bring friends, order recklessly, and be forever grateful the Mehmets missed a taste of home.

— choose chicago, Bon Appetit, "10 of Our Favorite Under-the-Radar Chicago Restaurants," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grateful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grateful

obsolete grate pleasing, thankful, from Latin gratus — more at grace

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1552

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

grateful Synonyms

GRATEFUL Defined for English Language Learners

grateful

adjective

Definition of grateful for English Language Learners

: feeling or showing thanks : feeling or showing thanks to someone for some helpful act

GRATEFUL Defined for Kids

grateful

adjective grate·ful \ ˈgrāt-fəl \

Definition of grateful for Students

1 : feeling or showing thanks

I'm grateful for your help.

2 : providing pleasure or comfort

… the blended scents of tea and coffee were so grateful to the nose …
—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

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gratefully

\-fə-lē\ adverb

Word Root of grateful

The Latin word gratus, meaning “pleasing” or “thankful,” gives us the root grat. Words from the Latin gratus have something to do with being pleasing or being thankful. To ingratiate yourself is to make others feel thankful for something you've done. To feel grateful is to feel thankful for something. Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness. To congratulate is to express how pleasing someone's success is.