1
as in ungrateful
not showing gratitude a thankless boss who seems oblivious to the extra effort his subordinates have made

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thankless However, leadership—the delicate, thankless art of managing egos, fostering buy-in, and instilling belief—is often overlooked. Brian Sampson, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024 Only a few players doing the game’s thankless tasks reach a level of universal praise akin to the one Girma has. Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025 His makeshift solution is a thankless job helping an art critic (a gloriously unhinged Tilda Swinton) assemble the works of her cryogenically frozen husband (RZA). Jason Bailey, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025 Sign up for Axios Communicators Scott Rosenberg Jan 8, 2025 - Business Zuckerberg and Meta say good riddance to fact-checking Distinguishing truth from falsehood is frustrating, endless, thankless work — and now Mark Zuckerberg is walking away from it. Ina Fried, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thankless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thankless
Adjective
  • Sad there are so many ungrateful people out there. — hollabackgirl (@YoBunny19) February 19, 2025 Unironically, Taylor Swift and KC played a role in getting the Salary Cap increase.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2025
  • And now you will be forever tarred as an ungrateful Negative Nancy!
    Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Fortunately, the guest managed to go unnoticed, despite their footwear failing them at the worst possible moment.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 17 Feb. 2025
  • If nothing else, the most unusual employment experiment in college hoops has not gone unnoticed.
    Brian Hamilton, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Your friend is not a rude person; therefore, if their camera appears to be pointing your way, that must be a mistake.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Another thing the two women have in common: rude, moody, older boyfriends.
    Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The lender may feel unappreciated, while the borrower might not even realize there's a problem—especially if expectations were never discussed.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Joe Biden had a ringside seat for Jimmy Carter’s presidency — its failures as well as its sometimes unappreciated successes.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Apparently, the jabs and insults from his unappreciative guest kept coming.
    Gil Macias, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Complaining about the food, comparing it to other meals, or ignoring efforts made by the host also comes across as disrespectful and unappreciative.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Thankless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thankless. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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