thankful

adjective

thank·​ful ˈthaŋk-fəl 

1

: conscious of benefit received

for what we are about to receive make us truly thankful

2

: expressive of thanks

thankful service

3

: well pleased : glad

was thankful that it didn't rain

thankfulness noun

Synonyms of thankful

• glad
• pleased
• delighted
• happy
• satisfied

Examples of thankful in a Sentence

Everyone was thankful to hear the good news.

we were thankful that someone else was footing the bill for the lavish wedding banquet

Recent Examples on the Web

Every Phillies fan would have something to be thankful for at the end of November if Dave Dombrowski gets a deal done this quickly. —Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025

Frech won a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic games in the men’s 100-meter T63 race, and was thankful for the support. —Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025

Once the fire is out, those firefighters stay to do the cleanup, which is some of the hardest, least thankful work. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025

Video posted on Facebook shows a tree service worker leaning an extremely tall ladder up to an enormous tree in order to rescue a very talkative — and thankful — black cat. —Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing thankful

• grateful/thankful for small mercies

Kids Definition

thankful

adjective

thank·​ful ˈthaŋk-fəl 

: feeling or showing thanks

thankfully

-fə-lē

adverb

thankfulness noun