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

Art de Roché Aston Villa Predicting Aston Villa’s strongest team and the starting XI for their season opener away to Brighton is a thankless task. — Luke Bosher, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Trying to do Elvira is setting yourself up for a thankless challenge. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026

This can be a thankless job at times, and a simple thank you or act of kindness can mean everything to the men and women who give so much for our city. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 1 July 2026

These conflicts raged on through the pandemic, when the country was generally going insane, and in 2022, when President Joe Biden exercised his right to appoint a new chair, Rios took what was in effect a thankless cleanup job. — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 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