grateful

[greyt-fuhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grateful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful: I am grateful to you for your help.

expressing or actuated by gratitude: a grateful letter.

pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome; refreshing: a grateful breeze.

Origin of grateful

1545–55; obsolete grate pleasing (< Latin grātus) + -ful

Related formsgrate·ful·ly, adverbgrate·ful·ness, nouno·ver·grate·ful, adjectiveo·ver·grate·ful·ly, adverbo·ver·grate·ful·ness, nounqua·si-grate·ful, adjectivequa·si-grate·ful·ly, adverb

Can be confusedgrateful gratified (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonyms for grateful

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grateful ON THESAURUS.COM

1. obliged, indebted. 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. 3. pleasant, gratifying, satisfying.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gratefully

admiringly, thankfully, delightedly, responsively

Examples from the Web for gratefully

Contemporary Examples of gratefully

The American-distributed Qurans would be gratefully received.
The U.S. Military Should Hand Out Qurans in Afghanistan as a Good-Will Gesture
Richard Miniter
March 1, 2012
Upon being hauled onto the ship, he gratefully drank a glass of water and then broke into tears.
Japan Earthquake: Gripping Survivor Stories
The Daily Beast
March 13, 2011
“The Obama administration came in and gave us this extra push,” he said, gratefully.
How Obama Lost Arnold
Joe Mathews
January 19, 2010
Lopez, wearing an orange Scoop T-shirt dress, looks as gratefully exhausted as any new mother.
Behind the Glow
Kevin Sessums
October 6, 2008

Historical Examples of gratefully

"You are very kind, Captain Smith," said Robert, gratefully.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"Thank you, Mike; you're a good friend," replied the girl, gratefully.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
"Thank you, Mildred," her cousin said, bowing to her gratefully.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington
Adams gratefully protracted the handshake that accompanied these inquiries.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington
And gratefully pressing my hand at the end, "This has been the chance of a lifetime," he said.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

British Dictionary definitions for gratefully

grateful

adjective

thankful for gifts, favours, etc; appreciative

showing gratitudea grateful letter

favourable or pleasanta grateful rest

Derived Formsgratefully, adverbgratefulness, noun

Word Origin for grateful

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gratefully

grateful

adj.

1550s, "pleasing to the mind," also "full of gratitude," from obsolete adj. grate "agreeable, thankful," from Latin gratus "pleasing" (see grace). "A most unusual formation" [Weekley]. Hard to think of another case where English uses -ful to make an adjective from an adjective. Related: Gratefully; gratefulness.