Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| ingrato | /ĩˈɡɾa.tu/ (Brazil) /ĩˈɡɾa.tu/ (Portugal) |
| mal-agradecido |
Both ingrato and mal-agradecido can be used to express that someone is ungrateful. You can also use the informal phrase Sem consideração to convey the sense of being "without appreciation".
What does it mean word for word?
The word ingrato is formed by combining the prefix in- (meaning "not") with the word grato (meaning "grateful").
Which one should you use?
While ingrato is a direct adjective, mal-agradecido is often used specifically to describe a person who fails to acknowledge a particular favor or a specific act of kindness.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective ingrato must agree in gender with the person being described, changing to ingrata for females. You can also use the adjective as a noun by adding an article, such as um ingrato (an ungrateful man) or uma ingrata (an ungrateful woman).
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ĩˈɡɾa.tu/. It has three syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The term ingrato can be used to describe land or soil that is barren and does not produce crops, moving the concept of 'ungrateful' from people to nature.
- In Brazilian Portuguese, the word ingrato is frequently used in 'Sertanejo' music lyrics to describe a betrayed lover who forgets the affection they once received.
- In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, failing to show gratitude is often seen as a deep violation of social etiquette rather than just a personality flaw.
Examples in context
- Depois de tudo que fizemos ele ainda era ingrato.After all we had done, he was still ungrateful.Tatoeba #379448 by brauliobezerra, translation #270980 by CM
- Há muitas formas de expressar gratidão; porém, há muitos ingratos atualmente.There are many ways to express gratitude. But right now, there are a lot of ungrateful people.Tatoeba #4456286 by Ricardo14, translation #10196864 by DJ_Saidez
- O amor é, quando acaba, ingrato e comovente. É a coisa, talvez, mais triste deste mundo.Love is, when it ends, ungrateful and moving. It is, perhaps, the saddest thing in the world.Tatoeba #13029319 by carlosalberto, translation #13029364 by carlosalberto
- Ele é um ingrato.He is ungrateful.
- Ela é uma pessoa desagradecida.She is an ungrateful person.
- Ele é sem consideração. Fiz tantos favores e ele nem agradeceu.He is ungrateful. I did so many favors, and he didn't even say thank you.
Example conversation
Gabriel is complaining to Beatriz about a coworker's behavior.
- GabrielEle foi muito ingrato comigo.He was very ungrateful to me.
- BeatrizNão fique assim, Gabriel.Don't be like that, Gabriel.
- GabrielMas eu ajudei muito esse homem.But I helped that man a lot.
- BeatrizEu sei, mas não vale a pena.I know, but it's not worth it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ungrateful” translations and entries ingrato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
