Thankful
What it means
Feeling glad appreciation for help, kindness, or a favorable outcome.
Reach for it when expressing personal gratitude in an ordinary, warm voice
We were thankful that a neighbor noticed the broken pipe before the freeze.
Words to choose between 8
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when simple pleasure at an outcome is sufficient
Careful Glad omits appreciation for the person or circumstance that made it possible.
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everyday
Fits when appreciation is deep or directed toward a person
Careful Grateful is often the stronger choice for a formal note of thanks, while thankful sounds more conversational.
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everyday
relieved
Fits when the good outcome mainly ends fear or strain
Careful Relief is not gratitude unless help or good fortune is also being acknowledged.
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warm
Fits when a spiritual frame or sense of fortunate abundance is welcome
Careful Blessed may introduce religion or social-media exuberance that the audience does not share.
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warm
Fits when a gesture creates emotional warmth as well as thanks
Careful Touched focuses on the feeling caused, not a continuing state of gratitude.
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professional
Fits when recognizing effort or value without strong emotion
Careful Appreciative can feel observational when heartfelt gratitude is wanted.
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formal
indebted
Fits when another person's help created a serious obligation of gratitude
Careful Indebted is too heavy for a small kindness and may imply repayment.
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literary
beholden
Fits when gratitude carries an old-fashioned sense of obligation
Careful Beholden can sound burdensome or unequal, which may spoil a friendly card.
Opposites 3
- ungrateful
- resentful
- unappreciative
Common phrases 3
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thankful for
I am thankful for the patience you brought to every difficult conversation.
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deeply thankful
The family was deeply thankful to the crew who restored the heat overnight.
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feel thankful
She began to feel thankful for the delay once the safer route opened.
Word family 2
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vininn126, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated