ingrate
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ingrate
1350–1400; Middle English ingrat < Latin ingrātus ungrateful. See in- 3, grateful
Explanation
If your kind act of buying a donut for your friend gets you nothing but a complaint that the chocolate icing looks runny, then it sounds like your pal is an ingrate, someone who is not thankful for others' kindness. The noun ingrate comes for the Latin word ingratus, a combination of in-, meaning “not,” and gratus, or “grateful.” That pretty much sums up an ingrate: not grateful. It describes someone who tends to act this way in general, rarely acknowledging others' generosity, or even worse, seeming to expect special treatment. You can tell someone is an ingrate by what isn't said: "thank you" and "I appreciate what you've done for me."
Vocabulary lists containing ingrate
Negatives with "in"
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This Week in Words: October 1 - 6, 2017
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The names they called me sting to this day: Eric the Ingrate.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2022
Ingrate that I was, I turned my back upon the Aigle, and was thankful when Sir Samuel and Lady Turnour walked out of my sight around the corner of the picture.
From The Motor Maid by Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
That we haue beene familiar, Ingrate forgetfulnesse shall poison rather Then pitty: Note how much, therefore be gone.
From Coriolanus by Shakespeare, William
Ingrate and traitor—hard words and true, hard words and true!
From Lewis Rand by Johnston, Mary
That we have been familiar, Ingrate forgetfulness shall poison, rather Than pity note how much.—Therefore be gone.
From Coriolanus by Shakespeare, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
