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

Born in Culver City and raised in a middle-class Pasadena family, White was taught to work hard and be grateful for what he had.

From Los Angeles Times

“He just shared his talent. I’m very grateful to these guides.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I'm incredibly grateful to Rhianon working with the force. It's important we don't only look at academic work, but lived experience and learn from that," she said.

From BBC

The research has been supported by the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, grateful patients and donors and a number of foundations.

From Science Daily

He works all the time, and yet one greets every new appearance with a sort of grateful excitement, as if he had been away somewhere for years.

From Los Angeles Times

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.