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
William Shakespeare
thanklessly
adverb
thanklessness
noun
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 man with the thankless task of sorting out the mess that is Caribbean cricket is experienced Jamaican administrator Chris Dehring, who returned to Cricket West Indies as chief executive officer in February.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The blocking can be a thankless job, so no divas need apply.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
In thankless smaller roles, Billy Magnussen, Sarah Gadon, Lily Rabe, and Hamish Linklater play fragments of memories of people, there to enable David and Sarah to continue on their path toward self-actualization.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
As a discipline, advertising is beset by all sorts of weird internal contradictions, although that’s probably to be expected, given the thankless job commercials are tasked with carrying out.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thankless
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Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The blocking can be a thankless job, so no divas need apply.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
In thankless smaller roles, Billy Magnussen, Sarah Gadon, Lily Rabe, and Hamish Linklater play fragments of memories of people, there to enable David and Sarah to continue on their path toward self-actualization.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
As a discipline, advertising is beset by all sorts of weird internal contradictions, although that’s probably to be expected, given the thankless job commercials are tasked with carrying out.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thankless
Cite this Entry
“Thankless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thankless. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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