Grateful — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈgrāt-fəl/ grate·ful

Meaning & Definition of Grateful

Grateful (adjective)

  1. appreciative of benefits received, feeling or showing thanks
  2. expressing gratitude
  3. affording pleasure or contentment, pleasing

Grateful (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. feeling or expressing gratitude

    "she was grateful for her neighbor's help after she broke her foot"

    similar: appreciative, appreciatory, glad, obliged, thankful
    related: beholden, indebted, contented, delighted, gratified, pleased, satisfied, tickled, thanking
    opposite: inappreciative, thankless, unappreciative, ungrateful
    near: inhospitable, rude, thoughtless, ungracious

  2. giving pleasure or contentment to the mind or senses

    "I'm glad for the grateful warmth of the fire on such a cold day"

    similar: agreeable, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, good, gratifying, heavenly, jolly, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, pretty, satisfying, savory, sweet, tasty, welcome
    related: alluring, attractive, desirable, enviable, inviting, relishable, tempting, charming, enchanting, fascinating, calming, comforting, soothing, amusing, diverting, entertaining, recreative, affable, amiable, cheerful, cheery, comfortable, gemütlich, genial, goodly, good-natured, gracious, hospitable, kindly, personable, blissful, felicific, glad, happy, joyous, elating, exhilarating, intoxicating, ecstatic, euphoric, nirvanic, rapturous
    opposite: disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome
    near: abominable, ghastly, god-awful, hellish, horrid, miserable, wretched, bilious, disgusting, distasteful, obnoxious, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revulsive, unsavory, vile, yucky, abhorrent, detestable, hateful, odious, boring, commonplace, dull, flat, insipid, irksome, stale, tedious, displeasing, dissatisfying, depressing, disheartening, dismal, dreary, gloomy, heartbreaking, heartrending, joyless, lachrymose, sad, unhappy, deplorable, doleful, dolorous, lamentable, lugubrious, mournful, regrettable, sorrowful, tragic, aggravating, annoying, exasperating, irritating, peeving, perturbing, vexing, forbidding, hostile, intimidating, angering, enraging, incensing, inflaming, infuriating, maddening, outraging, rankling, riling, distressing, disturbing, upsetting

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Grateful

The most common words with a similar meaning to Grateful:

appreciative, appreciatory, glad, obliged, thankful, agreeable, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, good, gratifying, heavenly, jolly, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, pretty, satisfying, savory, sweet, tasty, welcome

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Grateful

Words with the opposite meaning of Grateful:

inappreciative, thankless, unappreciative, ungrateful, disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome

Related Words for Grateful

beholden, indebted, contented, delighted, gratified, pleased, satisfied, tickled, thanking, alluring, attractive, desirable, enviable, inviting, relishable, tempting, charming, enchanting, fascinating, calming, comforting, soothing, amusing, diverting, entertaining, recreative, affable, amiable, cheerful, cheery

Near Antonyms of Grateful

inhospitable, rude, thoughtless, ungracious, abominable, ghastly, god-awful, hellish, horrid, miserable, wretched, bilious, disgusting, distasteful, obnoxious, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revulsive, unsavory, vile, yucky, abhorrent, detestable, hateful, odious, boring, commonplace, dull

Word Forms of Grateful

Derived words: gratefully (adverb), gratefulness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Grateful

obsolete grate pleasing, thankful, from Latin gratus grace

First known use: 1552

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Grateful

Words & Phrases Containing Grateful

grateful/thankful for small mercies

Frequently Asked Questions about Grateful

What does "Grateful" mean?

"Grateful" means appreciative of benefits received, feeling or showing thanks. As an adjective, it is defined as: appreciative of benefits received, feeling or showing thanks. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Grateful"?

Other words for "Grateful" include appreciative, appreciatory, glad, obliged, thankful, agreeable, blessed and congenial. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Grateful" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Grateful"?

There are 83 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Grateful". Common alternatives include appreciative, appreciatory, glad, obliged, thankful, agreeable, blessed, congenial, darling and delectable.

What is the opposite of "Grateful"?

Antonyms of "Grateful" include inappreciative, thankless, unappreciative, ungrateful, disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable and unpleasant. Near antonyms include inhospitable, rude, thoughtless and ungracious.

How do you use "Grateful" in a sentence?

Examples of "Grateful" in a sentence: "she was grateful for her neighbor's help after she broke her foot"; "I'm glad for the grateful warmth of the fire on such a cold day".

Is "Grateful" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Grateful" is an adjective.

Is "Grateful" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Grateful" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Grateful"?

"Grateful" is pronounced /ˈgrāt-fəl/ and divided into syllables as grate·ful.