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

• 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

The same goes for Hauser’s thankless role as Ed Hocken Jr., who plays straight man to Frank’s self-serious dimwit, when the writers remember to include him. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025

Whitaker, meanwhile, has a thankless role as an empath whose narrative function flips between making improbable, almost psychic pronouncements, and stating the painfully obvious. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 7 July 2025

Humility matters, especially for a thankless position like QB2 or QB3. —Zak Keefer, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025

Being a backup goalkeeper is a difficult and generally thankless job. —Matt Pyzdrowski, New York Times, 11 June 2025

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