# grateful

/ˈɡɹeɪtfəɫ/ (US) · /ɡɹˈeɪtfəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/grateful
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. thankful

adjective · CEFR B1

feeling or showing thanks because someone has done something kind for you.

For teachers: feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative of a benefit or kindness received.

- I am so grateful for all the help you gave me during the move.
- The survivors were immensely grateful to the local community for providing food and shelter during the emergency.

Usage: Commonly follows the pattern 'grateful to someone for something'.

Teaching tip: While 'thankful' and 'grateful' are often interchangeable, 'grateful' is slightly more formal and often implies a deeper sense of personal obligation to a specific benefactor.

### 2. pleasing or welcome

adjective · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

describing something that is very pleasant or welcome, like a cool breeze on a hot day.

For teachers: affording pleasure or relief; agreeable to the mind or senses.

- The shade of the large oak tree was a grateful relief from the burning sun.
- After days of trekking through the arid desert, the sight of the lush oasis was a grateful spectacle to the exhausted travellers.

Usage: In modern English, this sense is almost exclusively found in literary descriptions of nature or physical relief.

## Examples

- I am very grateful for your help today.
- She was extremely grateful to the stranger who found her lost wallet and returned it intact.
- While the scholarship recipients were immensely grateful for the financial support, many also noted that the mentorship component proved equally vital to their academic success.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.