insinuate

Meaning

Verb

1. To hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.
2. (rare) To creep, wind, or flow into; to enter gently, slowly, or imperceptibly, as into crevices.
3. (broadly, figuratively) To ingratiate; to obtain access to or introduce something by subtle, cunning or artful means.

Adj

Insinuated.

Synonyms

hint

imply

intimate

suggest

indicate

allude to

allude

adumbrate

satirize

ingratiate

give a hint

satirise

refer to

reflect on

sidle

wangle

wheedle

drive at

drop a hint

hint at

take a dig at

cajole

coax

connote

elbow

engineer

finagle

glance

inch

infuse

make out

manipulate

Translations

insinuer

andeuten

insinuar

insinuare

anspielen

insinueren

insinuar

insinuar

laisser entendre

aludir

insinuieren

υπαινίσσομαι

alludere

faire entendre

sticheln

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/

Etymology

First attested in 1529; Borrowed from Latin īnsinuātus, perfect passive participle of īnsinuō (“to push in, creep in, steal in”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + sinus (“a winding, bend, bay, fold, bosom”) -ō (verb-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.