ingratitude · noun — A lack or absence of gratitude; thanklessness. It carries an Arena rating of 1326, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ingratitude ranks #3,007 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,850 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #4,332 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #5,608 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words.
ingratitude is pronounced /ɪnˈɡɹætɪtud/.
Why “ingratitude” is a great word
A state or quality of being unthankful, a cold absence of expected acknowledgement for a kindness received. From Late Latin ingrātitūdō, built on the Latin prefix in- ("not") and grātus ("pleasing, thankful") with the suffix -tūdō (denoting a state or condition). Unlike "ungratefulness," which implies a personal failing of character, or "unthankfulness," its plainer, more archaic cousin, "ingratitude" names the formal void, the specific chilling transaction. It is the unreturned letter, the warmth of the hearth met with a turned back, the generous gift left to gather dust on a shelf—a quiet, corrosive proof that some debts are cancelled only in the heart of the debtor, leaving the world colder than it found it.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From in- + gratitude, from Old French ingratitude, from Late Latin ingrātitūdō. By surface analysis, in- + Latin grat(us) + -itude.
noun
- A lack or absence of gratitude; thanklessness.e.g.““Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it.[…]”” — 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, Lond
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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