Wiktionary

insinuate

English

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WOTD – 30 November 2007

Etymology

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From Latin īnsinuō (“to push in, creep in, steal in”), from in (“in”) + sinus (“a winding, bend, bay, fold, bosom”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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insinuate (third-person singular simple present insinuates, present participle insinuating, simple past and past participle insinuated)

  1. To hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:allude
    She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her.
  2. (rare) To creep, wind, or flow into; to enter gently, slowly, or imperceptibly, as into crevices.
    • 1728-1729, John Woodward, An Attempt towards a Natural History of the Fossils of England
      Water will insinuate itself into Flints through certain imperceptible Cracks
  3. (figurative, by extension) To ingratiate; to obtain access to or introduce something by subtle, cunning or artful means.
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Translations

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Italian

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Etymology 1

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Verb

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insinuate

  1. inflection of insinuare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

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Participle

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insinuate f pl

  1. feminine plural of insinuato

Latin

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Verb

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īnsinuāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of īnsinuō

Spanish

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Verb

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insinuate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of insinuar combined with te
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