grateful

[ greyt-fuhl ]

adjective

1. warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful:

   I am grateful to you for your help.

   Synonyms: indebted, obliged

2. expressing or actuated by gratitude:

   a grateful letter.

3. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable; welcome:

   a grateful breeze;

   The peace and calm of the hill country is a grateful relief.

   Synonyms: gratifying, pleasant

grateful

/ ˈɡreɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. thankful for gifts, favours, etc; appreciative
2. showing gratitude

   a grateful letter

3. favourable or pleasant

   a grateful rest

Derived Forms

• ˈgratefulness, noun
• ˈgratefully, adverb

Other Words From

• grate·ful·ly adverb
• grate·ful·ness noun
• o·ver·grate·ful adjective
• o·ver·grate·ful·ly adverb
• qua·si-grate·ful adjective
• qua·si-grate·ful·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of grateful¹

First recorded in 1545–55; obsolete grate “pleasing” (from Latin grātus ) + -ful

Word History and Origins

Origin of grateful¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The fact is that many Americans are more proud of and grateful for their citizenship than practically anything else.

From Salon

“I’m deeply grateful and profoundly moved because I watched my father accept this award in 1981,” Broccoli said.

From Los Angeles Times

“I was so grateful to have the coaches and the teammates that I had,” Jackson said.

From Los Angeles Times

"You've got to be grateful that you're still around, and people care about the band so much that we can fill all of these places one night after another."

From BBC

In response, Chan described the gesture as "so romantic", adding: "Can’t get quite as low anymore but more in love and grateful for that love than ever."

From BBC

Related Words

• beholden
• indebted
• pleased
• thankful

How Do You Spell Grateful?

Spelling tips for grateful

The word grateful is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is tempting to spell grate- “great.” Second, people often want to add an additional l to the end of the word -ful. 

How to spell grateful: When you are grateful, you are full of gratitude. The beginning of the words are similar. This helps you remember that grateful is spelled grate- instead of great-. It’s important to be grateful for what Little you have, which is why you only need one l at the end of the word.