thankless
/ˈθæŋkləs/ (bre, ipa) · [θˈæŋkləs] /ˈθæŋkləs/ (ame, ipa) · [θˈæŋkləs] /ˈthaŋk-ləs How to pronounce thankless (audio)/ (ame, mw)
thankless — 形容詞
- thanklesspositive
- more thanklesscomparative
- most thanklesssuperlative
1. A thankless job or piece of work is hard to do and brings no feeling of being ap
吃力不討好的
工作辛苦且無人感激的
A thankless job or piece of work is hard to do and brings no feeling of being appreciated or rewarded by anyone.
Cleaning the public toilets was a thankless job, but Dahlia did it without complaint.
清掃公共廁所是一份吃力不討好的工作，但 Dahlia 毫無怨言地完成了。
collocation: thankless job
Rohan felt his work on the project was thankless because nobody ever praised him.
Rohan 覺得他在這個專案上的付出很吃力不討好，因為沒有人讚美過他。
Organising the charity event felt like a thankless task until a donor thanked Sofia personally.
籌辦慈善活動感覺像一件吃力不討好的任務，直到一位捐贈者親自向 Sofia 道謝。
The night-shift nurse knew the work was thankless but returned each evening without complaint.
那位大夜班護理師知道這份工作吃力不討好，但她每晚依然回來上班。
Chidi compared the role of crossing guard to a thankless duty that goes unnoticed.
Chidi 把交通導護志工的角色比作一份吃力不討好的職責，默默付出卻無人留意。
- 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
- 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
2. A thankless person does not show appreciation for what others do for them, or be
忘恩負義的
不懂得感恩的（人）
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.
Aunt Rosa was hurt by her thankless niece, who never said thanks for any gift.
Rosa 阿姨被她那忘恩負義的姪女傷透了心，那孩子收到禮物從來不說謝謝。
thankless + person noun — describes someone who does not show gratitude
Dylan called his neighbour thankless after she borrowed his tools and returned them dirty.
Dylan 說他的鄰居忘恩負義，因為她借了工具卻弄髒了才還回來。
Lakan refused to lend money to his thankless cousin, who borrowed before and never repaid.
Lakan 拒絕借錢給他那位忘恩負義的表親，因為對方借過好幾次卻從未歸還。
Ilan described the thankless attitude of guests who enjoy free meals but never express appreciation.
Ilan 形容客人的態度忘恩負義：他們享受免費餐點，卻從不表示感謝。
- ungrateful
more common in everyday usage; directly interchangeable
- unthankful
less common but means the same thing
- unappreciative
focuses on failure to value others' efforts
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.