grateful

[greyt-fuhl]

adjective

1. warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful.

   I am grateful to you for your help.

   Synonyms: indebted, obliged

2. expressing or actuated by gratitude.

   a grateful letter.

3. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable; welcome.

   a grateful breeze;

   The peace and calm of the hill country is a grateful relief.

   Synonyms: gratifying, pleasant

grateful

/ ˈɡreɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. thankful for gifts, favours, etc; appreciative

2. showing gratitude

   a grateful letter

3. favourable or pleasant

   a grateful rest

Other Word Forms

• gratefully adverb
• gratefulness noun
• overgrateful adjective
• overgratefully adverb
• quasi-grateful adjective
• quasi-gratefully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of grateful¹

First recorded in 1545–55; obsolete grate “pleasing” (from Latin grātus ) + -ful

Word History and Origins

Origin of grateful¹

C16: from obsolete grate, from Latin grātus + _-ful

Synonym Study

Grateful, thankful describe an appreciative attitude for what one has received. Grateful indicates a warm or deep appreciation of personal kindness as shown to one: grateful for favors; grateful to one's neighbors for help in time of trouble. Thankful indicates a disposition to express gratitude by giving thanks, as to a benefactor or to a merciful Providence; there is often a sense of deliverance as well as of appreciation: thankful that one's life was spared in an accident; thankful for the comfort of one's general situation.

Example Sentences

"All I can do is just be grateful that I've got him."

Read more on BBC

"There were various ups and downs along the way, but I am very grateful for this outcome, and I believe the defendant feels the same," said the defendant's lawyer.

Read more on Barron's

As Georgia talks of how "lucky and grateful" she feels, Daisy says she always knew she would help her best friend out however she could.

Read more on BBC

Perhaps this is a week to be grateful for the fortitude of patient, determined actors willing to stick with it for years and grind out change.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Koerner stood in his new kitchen, going through everything and everyone he’s grateful for this holiday season.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beholden 
• indebted 
• pleased www.thesaurus.com
• thankful 

When To Use

Spelling tips for grateful

The word grateful is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is tempting to spell grate- "great." Second, people often want to add an additional l to the end of the word -ful. How to spell grateful: When you are grateful, you are full of gratitude. The beginning of the words are similar. This helps you remember that grateful is spelled grate- instead of great-. It's important to be grateful for what Little you have, which is why you only need one l at the end of the word.