gratitude
Americannoun
-
gratitude
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gratitude
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin grātitūdin-, stem of grātitūdō “thankfulness,” equivalent to grāt(us) “pleasing” + -i- + -tūdō -tude
Compare meaning
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Explanation
Gratitude means thanks and appreciation. It's the warm feeling you get when someone helps you figure out a great solution to a difficult problem that you've been trying to solve. Though they both recognize the instrumental roles others have played in our lives, gratitude is different from indebtedness. Gratitude, which rhymes with "attitude," comes from the Latin word gratus, which means "thankful, pleasing." When you feel gratitude, you're pleased by what someone did for you and also pleased by the results. Unlike indebtedness, you're not anxious about having to pay it back. But it's still great to tell the recipient of your gratitude how much they mean to you.
Vocabulary lists containing gratitude
Veterans Day Vocabulary
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Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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November Words
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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.
More than 160 comments were left on the post, describing the mission and expressing condolences for Seibert and gratitude for the effort to find him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
"Without him opening the door, we're probably not speaking here right now," he said, adding that he "can't even start saying our gratitude for this human being".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
"She handled this fame with such grace and love and gratitude," she added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Rob Pelinka, the president of basketball operations, starts the Thursday media session expressing gratitude to James while acknowledging excitement about the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Rarely displaying affection in his life or letters, Washington showed his gratitude to the enslaved man who had been his constant companion.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
