grateful

American  

[greyt-fuhl] / ˈgreɪt fəl /

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

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grateful British  

/ ˈɡreɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. thankful for gifts, favours, etc; appreciative

2. showing gratitude

   a grateful letter

3. favourable or pleasant

   a grateful rest

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Usage

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.

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of grateful

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

Compare meaning

How does grateful compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• grateful vs. thankful
• gratitude vs. grateful

Explanation

A person who is grateful feels or shows gratitude. If your neighbor brings you soup when you're sick, you'll be very grateful (unless you hate soup). Grateful comes from gratus, Latin for pleasing. Originally it meant pleasing, or agreeable (Walter Scott wrote of "the grateful and cooling shade"), but now means thankful. Usually you are grateful to someone for a particular thing she's done. If you're complaining about all your problems, someone might remind you of what you have to be grateful for.

Example Sentences

“I keep replaying it and just thinking of the what if,” she told the outlet, adding that she’s grateful Grau decided to nap in his bedroom that day.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

"God bless you, we are very grateful," said one Iranian family who were smuggled to Europe, as they posed outside an airport.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

A lot of you read it, even the columns about bike racing, for which I am grateful.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

But cinema owners here on Earth also feel pretty grateful to them.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

And I rush off, not looking back, sad to have lost Papá’s gift but grateful I still have the necklace.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

• beholden
• indebted
• pleased
• thankful