ingrate

American  

[in-grayt] / ˈɪn greɪt /

noun

• ingrates
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• ingrately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ingrates
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ingrate

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

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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

See Examples For:

ingrate ingrates

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

The ingrate: It was Whiteman who paid for Wilder’s first trip to Berlin, to cover one of Whiteman’s concerts.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 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

I could see buzzards circling high in the distance, which reminded me of that ingrate Buster.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

To Villanueva, all the litigation, as well as the senior officials who have gone on medical leave, are just more examples of him being wronged by ingrates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2022

So they feel they've got these ingrates who are their subjects, who are providing no level of appreciation for how much pain they have endured.

From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2020

We should also be ingrates and ask: Could he have run faster?

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2017

Scalia said sarcastically: “These plaintiffs are ingrates, right? You’re really helping them?”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2015

These benefits are not addressed to ingrates, as was proved by the profound sorrow that reigned in the little city when the death of the benefactor of Creusot was learned.—Science et Nature.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 488, May 9, 1885 by Various

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