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Glite Dictionary
thankless wretch

thankless wretch

8.9
A person who does not appreciate help or kindness
  • noun
  • Offensive
translation icon : ingrato
  • After all her kindness, he proved to be a thankless wretch who never appreciated her efforts.

Examples

  • Don't be a thankless wretch after all I've done for you.

  • Only a thankless wretch would ignore such generosity from friends.

  • The novel describes the main character as a thankless wretch rejected by his family.

  • He is such a thankless wretch!

  • After all her kindness, he proved to be a thankless wretch who never appreciated her efforts.

  • Only a thankless wretch would ignore such generosity from friends.

  • Don't be a thankless wretch after all I've done for you.

Synonyms

ingrate
vsthankless wretch
  • Offensive
12 8.1

A person who does not show thanks for help or gifts

expresses the same idea using a phrase instead of a single word
ungrateful person
vsthankless wretch
  • Offensive
1 3.9

Someone who does not say thank you when people help them

uses stronger, insulting words to express the same lack of gratitude

Surface Forms

thankless wretch singular
thankless wretches plural

Morphology

thankless + wretch

Both constituents contribute their literal senses: 'thankless' = lacking gratitude and 'wretch' = a miserable or contemptible person, so the combined phrase directly yields 'an ungrateful person'. This adj+noun compositional pattern is standard and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Thankless wretch paints a simple, angry picture: thankless means not saying 'thank you' and wretch means a miserable person. So calling someone a thankless wretch is a strong way to say they are 'ungrateful' and do not appreciate others.