ungrateful

[ uhn-greyt-fuh l ]

/ ʌnˈgreɪt fəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ungrateful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

unappreciative; not displaying gratitude; not giving due return or recompense for benefits conferred: ungrateful heirs.

unpleasant; distasteful; repellent: an ungrateful task.

Nearby words

ungotten, ungovernable, ungraceful, ungracious, ungrammatical, ungrateful, ungrudging, ungt., ungual, unguarded, unguent

Origin of ungrateful

First recorded in 1545–55; un-¹ + grateful

Related forms

un·grate·ful·ly, adverbun·grate·ful·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for ungrateful

I know one shouldn't be ungrateful, but what is it about people giving your kids ridiculous presents when you are on holiday?
Prince George Given Giant Toy Wombat|Tom Sykes|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There will be tears, ungrateful betrayals, but at some point—if you keep your faith—the problem child will grow up.
Juvenilia: A Bibliography|Eric Puchner|February 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Small children are ungrateful; to do one a favor is, from a business point of view, about as shrewd as making a subprime mortgage.
Are the Glory Days of Fatherhood Over?|Michael Lewis|June 20, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She was moving toward the door, and his ungrateful outburst had the effect of stopping her.
The Quickening|Francis Lynde

Now at a single stroke he would get even with the ungrateful earth, the cause of all his misfortunes.
The Cabin|Vicente Blasco Ibez
I'm not ungrateful, and I hate to hurt you, but—I just can't.
The White Blackbird|Hudson Douglas
"Oh, I shall have to go through most of it myself, of course," was the ungrateful retort of the suffering Miss Vivian.
The War-Workers|E.M. Delafield
There was a perceptible, and not ungrateful, odor of cooking present.
Weatherby's Inning|Ralph Henry Barbour

British Dictionary definitions for ungrateful

ungrateful

/ (ʌnˈɡreɪtfʊl) /

adjective

not grateful or thankful

unrewarding or unpleasant; thankless

(of land) failing to increase fertility in response to cultivation

Derived Forms

ungratefully, adverbungratefulness, noun

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