easy
Washing all the muddy shoes felt like a thankless job.
What does Thankless mean?
hard work that gets little thanks.
Dictionary definition
Thankless describes work that is difficult, helpful, or necessary but receives little thanks or appreciation.
Example sentences
Thankless in a sentence
medium
The volunteers did thankless work behind the scenes.
hard
The article explained that some important community jobs can feel thankless when people do not notice the effort.
Writing practice
Ready to write your own? Study the examples, then practice thankless in a sentence with Sentence Builder checklist feedback.
Quick practice
⬡ Earn 5 Honey
Practice the meaning of Thankless
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What does thankless mean?
Thankless work may be important, but people may not notice or appreciate it.
Practice 2
Which word or phrase is a useful contrast for thankless?
Appreciated is a contrast because it means the effort is noticed and valued.
Practice 3
Choose the best word to complete the sentence: Cleaning up after the event was a ____ task.
Thankless best completes the sentence.
Practice complete
Nice work!
You completed 3 questions.
Pronunciation coach
⬡ Earn 5 Honey
Thankless
Voice settings
Sounds like
thank · lus · strongest beat: thank
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordThankless.
Partadjective.
MeaningThankless means hard work that gets little thanks.
ExampleExample: Washing all the muddy shoes felt like a thankless job.
Word breakdown
2 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- thank · lus
- Strongest beat
- thank
- Ending
- lus
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on thank.
Your turn
Say Thankless
Record a short attempt, then compare it with the Coach. Your recording stays on this device and is not uploaded.
Coach
My attempt
Ready when you are.
Nice work—you practiced thankless.
Synonyms
Words like Thankless
unappreciatedNot given enough thanks or recognition.
unrewardedDone without much reward or praise.
overlookedNot noticed enough by others.
Antonyms
Opposite words
appreciatedGiven thanks or recognition.
rewardingGiving a good feeling or benefit in return.
Synonym practice
Want to practice thankless synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "Cleaning the muddy floor felt thankless but helpful," then compare close word choices. Practice thankless synonyms.
Word family
Thankless word family
Related words
Explore related words
Learning activities
Practice Thankless and explore more word games
Cards labelled “Practice THANKLESS” keep this word in focus. Explore cards open games with other words.
Practice THANKLESS
Sentence Builder
Write your own sentence with this word and revise with checklist feedback.
Write a sentence with THANKLESS
Explore · Spelling
Spell Hive
Hear the word, type the spelling, and use spoken clues when needed.
Practice spelling
Explore · Definitions
Define the Word Hive
Choose the meaning that fits and get instant feedback.
Practice definitions
Explore · Matching
Vocabulary Match
Pair words with meanings and review misses with dictionary links.
Match meanings
Explore · Context
Context Clue Challenge
Use sentence clues to choose the word that fits the meaning.
Use context clues
Practice THANKLESS
Synonym Search
Compare meanings in a question that includes THANKLESS.
Practice THANKLESS
Explore · Scramble
Scrambled Bees
Rebuild words from mixed-up letters for spelling practice.
Rebuild words