Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thankless” come from?

Thankless derives from Middle English thankles, combining thank with the suffix -les (meaning without or lacking).

thankless (English): not appreciated or rewarded; ungrateful or...

Definitions

  1. not appreciated or rewarded; ungrateful or...

Ancestry of “thankless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishthankles—

Words derived from “thankless”

  • thanklessness
  • thanklessly
Every word from Middle English thankles →