Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not feeling or exhibiting gratitude, thanks, or appreciation.
  • adjective Not agreeable or pleasant; repellent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not grateful; not feeling thankful or showing gratitude for favors; not making returns, or making ill returns, for kindness.
  • Exhibiting ingratitude; characterized by ingratitude: as, ungrateful conduct; ungrateful words.
  • Giving no return or recompense; offering no inducement: as, “th' ungrateful plain,”
  • Unpleasing; unacceptable; disagreeable.
  • Synonyms See grateful.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful.
  • adjective Unpleasing; unacceptable; disagreeable.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective not grateful; not expressing gratitude; a dissatisfied person.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective disagreeable
  • adjective not feeling or showing gratitude

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- (“not”) + grate + -ful (“grateful”)

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Examples

  • Now the DPM shooting his cannon at the what he call ungrateful Chinese.

    SARA - Southeast Asian RSS Aggregator 2009

  • Nor was Martin ungrateful, knowing as he did the lives of the poor, and that if ever in the world there was charity, this was it.

    Chapter 25 2010

  • Nor was Martin ungrateful, knowing as he did the lives of the poor, and that if ever in the world there was charity, this was it.

    Chapter 25 1908

  • Themistokles was banished, and chafing at the treatment he had received, he was encouraged to ask him to share his treason, and showed him the letters which he had received from the Persian king, at the same time inflaming his resentment against the Greeks, whom he spoke of as ungrateful wretches.

    Plutarch's Lives, Volume I 46-120? Plutarch 1839

  • Yet in same breath, adoptees are called "ungrateful" just for wanting to meet, even once, their moms and dads.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed LYNN COADY 2011

  • Itthe arabic word comes from the root word "ungrateful" and as such, means someone who has fully understood the guidance given by God and is "ungrateful"---chosen to reject it.

    Islam in Sunday School James F. McGrath 2009

  • And just in case Katherine or anyone else had the crazy idea to call her ungrateful, she's now going to flip her "misfortune" into a TV deal.

    Morris W. O'Kelly: Alejandra Jackson Goes Full 'Momtie' Morris W. O'Kelly 2011

  • And just in case Katherine or anyone else had the crazy idea to call her ungrateful, she's now going to flip her "misfortune" into a TV deal.

    Morris W. O'Kelly: Alejandra Jackson Goes Full 'Momtie' Morris W. O'Kelly 2011

  • Everyone pounced calling her ungrateful (again) and adding that she wants out of her TV contract to make movies.

    Melissa Silverstein: Defending Katherine Heigl...Again 2008

  • Everyone pounced calling her ungrateful again and adding that she wants out of her TV contract to make movies.

    Defending Katherine Heigl...Again Melissa Silverstein 2008

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