- pleased about something good that has happened, or that something bad has not happened
- thankful (to do something) I was thankful to see they'd all arrived safely.
- thankful for something He wasn't badly hurt—that's something to be thankful for.
- She was thankful for the darkness which allowed her to slip away unnoticed.
- thankful (that)… I was thankful that he hadn't been hurt.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsc1- We were thankful for the chance to rest.
- I'm just thankful that my mother never lived to see this.
- I was thankful that they hadn't asked for more.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- seem
- …
- extremely
- incredibly
- really
- …
- for
Word OriginOld English thancful (see thank, -ful).Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Idioms
See thankful in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarybe grateful/thankful for small mercies
- to be happy that a situation that is bad is not as bad as it could have been
- Well, at least you weren't hurt. I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies.
Check pronunciation:
thankful