thankless

/ˈθæŋkləs/ (bre, ipa) · [θˈæŋkləs] /ˈθæŋkləs/ (ame, ipa) · [θˈæŋkləs] /ˈthaŋk-ləs How to pronounce thankless (audio)/ (ame, mw)

thankless — adjective

  • thanklesspositive
  • more thanklesscomparative
  • most thanklesssuperlative

1. A thankless job or piece of work is hard to do and brings no feeling of being ap

1.形容詞B2
釋義

A thankless job or piece of work is hard to do and brings no feeling of being appreciated or rewarded by anyone.

例句

Cleaning the public toilets was a thankless job, but Dahlia did it without complaint.

collocation: thankless job

Rohan felt his work on the project was thankless because nobody ever praised him.

同義詞
  • unrewarding

    directly interchangeable; focuses on the lack of personal gain

  • unappreciated

    emphasises that no one values the effort put in

  • unrecognised

    closer to 'not noticed'; slightly weaker than thankless

反義詞
  • rewarding

    the opposite outcome — work that brings satisfaction and recognition

  • appreciated

    work that is valued by others

文法句型

thankless + noun (job, task, work, duty, role, chore)

用法筆記

Almost always modifies nouns associated with work or duty (job, task, role, chore). This sense is far more common than the 'ungrateful person' meaning.

常見錯誤

❌A thankless task means the worker feels thankful.
✅A thankless task means the work receives no thanks.
💡thankless describes the task, not the worker's emotion.

2. A thankless person does not show appreciation for what others do for them, or be

2.形容詞C1
釋義

A thankless person does not show appreciation for what others do for them, or behaves as if help is not worth a word of thanks.

例句

Aunt Rosa was hurt by her thankless niece, who never said thanks for any gift.

thankless + person noun — describes someone who does not show gratitude

Dylan called his neighbour thankless after she borrowed his tools and returned them dirty.

同義詞
反義詞
  • grateful

    the opposite quality — showing and feeling thanks

  • thankful

    feeling or expressing gratitude

文法句型

thankless + noun (person, child, attitude, behaviour)

用法筆記

Applied to a person or their behaviour rather than a task. This sense is less common in modern English; 'ungrateful' is often preferred in everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌She is a thankless person' means she feels grateful.
✅She is a thankless person' means she does not show gratitude.
💡a thankless person is ungrateful, not grateful.