thankless

adjective

thank·​less ˈthaŋk-ləs 

1

: not likely to obtain thanks : unappreciated

a thankless task

2

: not expressing or feeling gratitude : ungrateful

How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!

—William Shakespeare

thanklessly adverb

thanklessness noun

Synonyms of thankless

• ungrateful
• rude
• unappreciative

Examples of thankless in a Sentence

a thankless boss who seems oblivious to the extra effort his subordinates have made

the thankless job of cleaning up after a party

Recent Examples on the Web

Eventually, we were brought into the soundstage where a hype man impressively excelled in the thankless task of keeping the energy high. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026

Most puzzling of all is the weird absence of any significant oomph; it’s simply watched from afar by Nelly (now Hong Chau), who is always being fired but never seems to leave, in by far the most thankless role in the movie. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026

The dullest focuses on Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz, who puncture the movie with some sharp line reads but are largely wasted in thankless roles as Mark and Janet, two teachers in a strained romantic relationship. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026

Aside from Taylor, who feels essential to any future for this play, the other very notable performance comes from Griggs, in something of a thankless role. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

thankless

adjective

thank·​less ˈthaŋ-kləs 

1

: not appreciated by others

a thankless job

2

: not showing or feeling gratitude

thanklessly adverb

thanklessness noun