ingratiate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ingratiate
First recorded in 1615–25; perhaps from Latin in grātiam “into favor,” after Italian ingraziare; see in, grace, -ate 1
Explanation
To ingratiate is to make obvious efforts to gain someone's favor, in other words — to kiss up to someone. Ingratiate has not strayed much from its Latin roots, in gratiam, (in plus gratia meaning "favor") which means "in favor" or "for the favor of." To ingratiate is to gain the favor of someone by doing lots of favors to the point of being a nudge. Like the teacher's pet who answers every question, stays after class to clean the chalkboard, and brings the teacher an apple every day. When you ingratiate yourself to people, you risk annoying them — like a little dog nipping at their heels.
Vocabulary lists containing ingratiate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Great Gatsby
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ross, meanwhile, is trying to ingratiate himself with and improve the local community by funding scholarships for hundreds of local public high-school students to attend a nearby community college.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Her notes outline plans to found an international bank, buy a Swedish castle, and even to ingratiate herself with a British duke.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
But when Oliver walks into the store, entourage in tow, Matthew makes a play to ingratiate himself with the pop star that goes better than he ever could’ve expected.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025
But while individuals may flatter him and ingratiate themselves, the market doesn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025
Thanks to him, I learned veiy quickly dozens of little things that could really ingratiate a new waiter with the cooks and bartenders.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
El Dorado is controlled by a gangster known only by his first name, Fabio, a Pablo Escobar-type character who has ingratiated himself with locals through acts of charity.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
In a series of maneuvers fit for a John le Carré story, Mercader slowly ingratiated himself into the Trotsky household.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
At first, this is thought to have ingratiated the group with some locals - but this was short-lived.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
“He really has that servant leadership mentality behind the plate, which has really ingratiated himself with a lot of our pitchers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2025
The two operatives acting as cattlemen soon ingratiated themselves with William Hale, who considered them fellow Texas cowboys and who introduced them to many of the leading townsfolk.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
The bright, ingratiating and charismatic Saqib is a servant’s son on the Atars’ country estate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
He made the most of this connection, flying the Welsh flag and ingratiating himself with locals, who fell for the charms of "this lovely man".
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
In person he’s ingratiating, charming, eager to please.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024
Both show off Glaser’s gift for grabbing a subject, attacking it from every side, playing smart and dumb, ingratiating and insulting, going sweet or sour.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2024
Her teeth were crooked, but there was something ingratiating about that smile.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
