Nonionic associative thickeners suitable for use in aqueous coating compositions comprise an aqueous solution polymer of (a) from about 40 percent to about 98 percent, preferably from 60 to 95 percent, by weight of a monoethylenically unsaturated monomer such as acrylamide, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, hydroxyethyl acrylate and mixtures thereof; and (b) from about 2 percent to about 60 percent, preferably from 5 to 40 percent, by weight of a nonionic urethane monomer which is the urethane reaction product of a monohydric nonionic surfactant with a monoethylenically unsaturated monoisocyanate.