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

Example Sentences

"We are really grateful to all those that have donated," the pair, known as Paul and Anthony, said.

From BBC

She was surprised by how grateful they were and said: "It's just tiny little things that we do, things that probably would make a big difference to someone on their own."

From BBC

We'll skip over the fact that she should've won much sooner for Lemonade or Renaissance and just be grateful that Beyoncé got her trophy and the internet got a meme for the ages.

From BBC

"We are profoundly grateful for their compassion and support."

From BBC

Mr Slater said: "Both Gloucester and Leicester mean a huge amount to me and I'm forever grateful to the support they've shown me and my family, particularly over the past three years."

From BBC

Related Words

• beholden
• indebted
• pleased
• thankful