grateful

[greyt-fuh l] /ˈgreɪt fəl/
adjective
1.
warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful:
I am grateful to you for your help.
2.
expressing or actuated by gratitude:
a grateful letter.
3.
pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome; refreshing:
a grateful breeze.
Origin
1545-55; obsolete grate pleasing (< Latin grātus) + -ful
Related forms
gratefully, adverb
gratefulness, noun
overgrateful, adjective
overgratefully, adverb
overgratefulness, noun
quasi-grateful, adjective
quasi-gratefully, adverb
Can be confused
grateful, gratified (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
1. obliged, indebted. Grateful, thankful describe an appreciative attitude for what one has received. Grateful indicates a warm or deep appreciation of personal kindness as shown to one: grateful for favors; grateful to one's neighbors for help in time of trouble. Thankful indicates a disposition to express gratitude by giving thanks, as to a benefactor or to a merciful Providence; there is often a sense of deliverance as well as of appreciation: thankful that one's life was spared in an accident; thankful for the comfort of one's general situation. 3. pleasant, gratifying, satisfying.
Examples from the web for grateful
  • We are appreciative and grateful for your continued support.
  • And when you're grateful, the "thank you"s are easy to come by.
  • We were grateful to be off that boat.
  • Parents seeking the "right" words will be grateful for Heyman's forthright approach and encouraging tone.
  • Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for it.
  • I'm grateful for my family.
  • I'm so grateful for my air conditioner.
  • You may believe anything that is good of a grateful man.
  • And I'm grateful to each and every one of you.
  • I'm grateful for the chance to try this new style of work.
British Dictionary definitions for grateful

grateful

/ˈɡreɪtfʊl/
adjective
1.
thankful for gifts, favours, etc; appreciative
2.
showing gratitude: a grateful letter
3.
favourable or pleasant: a grateful rest
Derived Forms
gratefully, adverb
gratefulness, noun
Word Origin
C16: from obsolete grate, from Latin grātus + -ful
Word Origin and History for grateful
adj.

1550s, "pleasing to the mind," also "full of gratitude," from obsolete adj. grate "agreeable, thankful," from Latin gratus "pleasing" (see grace). "A most unusual formation" [Weekley]. Hard to think of another case where English uses -ful to make an adjective from an adjective. Related: Gratefully; gratefulness.