thankfulness

IPA/ˈθæŋk.fəl.nəs/
KK[θˈæŋkfəlnɛs]IPA/ˈθæŋk.fəl.nəs/

thankfulness — noun

1. the warm feeling you have when you recognise that something good has happened to

1.nounB1
Definition

the warm feeling you have when you recognise that something good has happened to you, often because of another person's kindness or generosity

Example

Jisoo felt a deep sense of thankfulness when her neighbours brought meals during her illness.

collocation: deep sense of thankfulness

The charity received letters of thankfulness from families who had been helped through the winter.

Common collocations
  • deep sense of ~
  • express ~
  • quiet ~
  • sincere ~
  • feeling of ~
Synonyms
  • gratitude

    more common and direct synonym; 'gratitude' is slightly more formal but used in the same contexts

  • appreciation

    focuses on recognising the value of what someone has done, often used in professional or formal settings

Antonyms
  • ingratitude

    the lack of gratitude or thankfulness; considered a negative quality

Usage Note

Often used with possessives (her thankfulness, their thankfulness) to connect the feeling to a specific person. Frequently paired with adjectives like deep, quiet, sincere, or profound.

Common Mistakes

I have great thankfulness for your help' (sounds awkward in everyday speech).
I am very thankful for your help' or 'I feel great thankfulness for your help.
'thankfulness' is less common in casual spoken English; 'gratitude' or the adjective 'thankful' are more natural.

thankfulness — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Thankful and grateful are the closest pair, often interchangeable in everyday English. The main difference is that thankful can carry relief ("I'm thankful you're safe"), while grateful more consistently implies appreciation for a kindness received. Appreciative is more formal and intellectual — it suggests you recognise the value of someone's help rather than feel emotional warmth toward them. Relieved overlaps with thankful sense 3 but lacks gratitude entirely; you can be relieved without being thankful to anyone. Indebted is much stronger and implies a sense of moral obligation: "I am deeply indebted to my mentor" suggests you owe them a serious debt, not just a thank-you. In casual speech, grateful and thankful are safest; use appreciative in workplace emails, and indebted only when you genuinely mean you owe someone a significant favour.

grateful ↗appreciativerelieved ↗indebted ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be thankful that ...
  • feel thankful for ...
  • express thankfulness for ...
  • with thankful hearts

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Thankfulness is formed by adding -ness (which turns adjectives into nouns) to thankful. Thankful itself comes from the noun thank (from Old English þanc, meaning 'thought, gratitude') plus the suffix -ful ('full of'). So the word's literal path is: 'full of thanks' → the quality of being full of thanks. The Old English þanc is related to the verb thencan ('to think') — in early Germanic languages, gratitude was seen as a kind of thoughtful remembering of a kindness.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1