ingrate

American  

[in-greyt] / ˈɪn greɪt /

noun

1. an ungrateful person.

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adjective

1. Archaic. ungrateful.

ingrate British  

/ ˈɪnɡreɪt, ɪnˈɡreɪt /

noun

1. an ungrateful person

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adjective

1. ungrateful

Other Word Forms

• ingrately
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of ingrate

1350–1400; Middle English ingrat < Latin ingrātus ungrateful. See in- ³, grateful

Explanation

If your kind act of buying a donut for your friend gets you nothing but a complaint that the chocolate icing looks runny, then it sounds like your pal is an ingrate, someone who is not thankful for others' kindness. The noun ingrate comes for the Latin word ingratus, a combination of in-, meaning “not,” and gratus, or “grateful.” That pretty much sums up an ingrate: not grateful. It describes someone who tends to act this way in general, rarely acknowledging others' generosity, or even worse, seeming to expect special treatment. You can tell someone is an ingrate by what isn't said: "thank you" and "I appreciate what you've done for me."

Example Sentences

I am sure he thought I was an ingrate but said they never locked their door — it was the Colony.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

Pound may have been an ingrate, but the gratitude of generations will always be due Hall, for remembering.

From Washington Post • Dec. 24, 2021

When “Life with Picasso” first came out, this kind of anecdote did not go over well with Picasso’s supporters, who denounced Gilot as a spiteful ingrate and rushed in to avenge the great man.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 15, 2019

Then he’ll look around for more before disappearing, like the ingrate that he is, back into his foul and riled depths.

From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2015

“And just when he had gotten it to the point of learning to eat nothing at all, the ingrate up and died. I suppose you have heard that story?”

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen