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
  • What To Know The Trump administration has accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for the vast amount of U.S. military assistance, although the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly thanked officials and the American people for backing its war effort.
    Ellie Cook, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
  • That deal looks off the table for now after the fiery showdown which saw the Ukrainians instructed to leave the White House, accused of being ungrateful for American military support.
    Helen Regan, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The price jump has not gone unnoticed at the White House, where President Trump mentioned the increase during his first cabinet meeting.
    Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025
  • The deletion of the COO’s emails went unnoticed for months, making recovery impossible without independent backups.
    Nick Martin, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Anti-Tesla sentiment is at an all-time high, whether expressed through rude bumper stickers and peaceful protest or vandalism and arson, in part because Musk has continually stoked tension with his far-right politics.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025
  • At the time, Pearce called out a rude fan while performing at WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
    Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Moreover, in what is likely an unappreciated story, Saks let super-seller to the stars Catherine Bloom defect to Nordstrom.
    Steve Dennis, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Fortunately, Feiffer wasn't one of those geniuses who were forced to languish unappreciated in his lifetime.
    Etelka Lehoczky, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025
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 12 Mar. 2025.

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