The main difference between grateful and thankful is that grateful puts more emphasis on the action to show gratitude while thankful is merely the expression of gratitude or appreciation through words.
Helping each other is one of the divine characteristics of being human. It shows one’s ability to understand another person’s situation and his or her generosity. Hence, the one who gets benefitted feels a sense of gratitude towards the one who helped him/her. Grateful and thankful are two similar terms that express this sense of gratitude.
Key Areas Covered
1. What Does Grateful Mean
– Definition, Expression, Depth
2. What Does Thankful Mean
– Definition, Expression, Depth
3. What is the Similarity Between Grateful and Thankful
– Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Grateful and Thankful
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Gratitude, Grateful, Help, Thankful
What Does Grateful Mean
Oxford dictionary defines grateful as “feeling or showing an appreciation for something done or received.” Similarly, Merriam Webster explains grateful as “appreciative of benefits received”. Thus, grateful is a feeling which always follows an action to show it.
Moreover, a person can show his or her feeling of gratefulness in many ways. For example, assume that someone helped you in some way. Being there with the person who helped you in his needy times, and giving that person some award or favour in return are two common ways of showing that you are grateful.
What does Thankful Mean
Thankful is defined as “expressing gratitude and relief” by the Oxford dictionary. Merriam Webster also explains thankful as “conscious of benefit received” or “expressive of thanks”. Thus, it is clear that thankful highlights only the expression of gratitude to the one who helped as a result of being conscious of the benefit received.
Therefore, one who is thankful is conscious of the benefit he or she received and is expressive of it. Thus, it means they will express their thankful sentiment through words such as “I am thankful for your help”, “thank you very much for your help”, or giving a thank you card or even by a simple ‘Thank you’.
Similarity Between Grateful and Thankful
- Both are concerned with the feeling of gratitude.
- Both show that one is aware and appreciates the benefit he or she received from someone else.
Difference Between Grateful and Thankful
Definition
Grateful is the feeling or showing an appreciation for something done or received while thankful is the expressing gratitude and relief. Hence, this is the fundamental difference between grateful and thankful.
Expression
Grateful goes beyond the verbal expression of gratitude while thankful is framed within the verbal expression of gratitude or appreciation. This is a major difference between grateful and thankful.
Action
Being grateful to someone means that person also looks forward to showing his gratitude through actions while thankful is only an expression of gratitude, it does not go that deep into show it through action.
Emotional Depth
Emotional depth is another difference between grateful and thankful. The feeling of gratefulness has more depth than the feeling of thankfulness.
Conclusion
Grateful and thankful are similar terms. However, they differ according to the way they are shown or expressed and depth of emotions. Thus, the main difference between grateful and thankful is that grateful puts more emphasis on the action to show gratitude while thankful is merely the expression of gratitude or appreciation through words. Therefore, someone being grateful will show it in their actions. On the other hand, someone who is thankful will only express it through their words.
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