thankless
Americanadjective
-
not likely to be appreciated or rewarded; unappreciated.
a thankless job.
- Synonyms:
- profitless, unrewarding, vain, unacknowledged
-
not feeling or expressing gratitude or appreciation; ungrateful.
a thankless child.
adjective
-
receiving no thanks or appreciation
a thankless job
-
ungrateful
a thankless pupil
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of thankless
Explanation
When you do something that doesn't earn you any gratitude, you can call it thankless. Handing out parking tickets and giving unsolicited advice can both be thankless jobs. If no one says, "Thanks!" despite your hard work, your task was a thankless one. You can also describe the person who doesn't express gratitude that way—Shakespeare's King Lear famously did this by saying, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Miyamoto has a similar humble but thankless task she’d want help with.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Mr. Reynor, who recently had a thankless starring role in “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” is back on track as this arrogant but talented backstage maestro.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Being an executor is a legally risky, time-consuming and often thankless job.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Who wants to stay in some thankless, impossible job?
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
