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

“So just to be able to have Klimt and Schiele paintings for the collection, to enhance our Expressionist holdings, is something that’s been a longtime dream of mine. I am deeply grateful for that.”

From Los Angeles Times

Resident Brent Morgan, 42, is grateful for the help after months of seeking assistance after learning that his rental insurance had expired.

From Los Angeles Times

The museum added it was "hugely grateful" to police and would continue to work with them.

From BBC

Joyce Carol Oates was grateful someone was reading her books.

From Los Angeles Times

“We are deeply honored to serve our communities and grateful for the trust placed in us to help when it’s needed most,” said Cal Fire in a statement on Instagram.

From 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.