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

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

Despite all the graphics capabilities of modern Macs, being a Mac gamer is generally a thankless existence. — ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026

This kind of audit is slow and thankless. — Omer Qureshi, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Young men who served in Vietnam, whether voluntarily or through the draft, were in a thankless spot. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 24 May 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