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Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

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"grateful" versus "thankful"
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1
2010/11/12 - 2:46am

Is "grateful" deeper than "thankful" ?

In Merriam & Webster Dictionary, "grateful" is defined as "appreciative of benefits received."
And "thankful" is defined as "conscious of benefits received."
To me, it seems that "appreciative" is more than "conscious", so "grateful" is deeper than "thankful".

But I get confused when I look up "gratitude", which is defined "thankfulness."
And "thank" is defined as "expressing gratitude."
I am confused, because it seems to make "grateful" equivalent to "thankful"

Guest
2
2010/11/12 - 4:27am

I would consider them the same. I choose between them only by sound or the slightest nuance. (e.g. I might avoid "attitude of gratitude" unless I were a start-up motivational speaker. I am not.)

Guest
3
2010/11/13 - 7:21am

I've never thought about it before, but in my own scale I would say that "grateful" is indeed stronger than "thankful". But that has no more legitimacy than saying "beautiful" is stronger than "pretty" or "several" is more than "a few"; lots of people use it that way, but it doesn't really belong in a dictionary, IMHO.

Guest
4
2010/11/16 - 12:05am

"grateful" is more classic and elegant than "thankful". Guenevere was grateful that Sir Lancelot came to her rescue. My buddy was thankful that I stopped to get limes for the Pacificos we drank during his barbecue.

Guest
5
2010/11/23 - 1:49am

Thank you, everyone. I find your feedback very helpful. May gratitude fill your Thanksgiving holiday.

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