Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ingratiating
First recorded in 1635–45; ingratiat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
If someone in your class places an apple on your teacher's desk in an ingratiating manner, that means he's making a calculated move to suck up and win your teacher's favor. The word ingratiating comes from a combination of the Latin prefix in- meaning "in" and gratia meaning "favor, grace." A person who is ingratiating is trying to get in the favor or grace of those around her. But the word doesn't always have to imply a sly attempt at winning others over, sometimes it can simply mean charming or agreeable. A person's smile can be ingratiating, winning people over simply with its charm.
Vocabulary lists containing ingratiating
Behave Yourself! Vocabulary for Good, Bad, and Indifferent Conduct
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White Fang
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The Crucible, Acts 1–2
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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.
Ingratiating: Thank-you notes are meant to express gratitude and to provide a moment of joy for the sender and the recipient.
From Washington Post • Jul. 3, 2022
Ingratiating yourself with local political leaders, analysts say, is especially important for a second-tier candidate such as Mr. O’Malley, who lags far behind Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Biden in name recognition.
From Washington Times • Oct. 6, 2014
Ingratiating, self-effacing and ruggedly handsome, he was often assigned to photograph people who preferred not to be photographed.
From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2013
Ingratiating and frightening, a figure of simple, no, satanic charm, Lonesome Rhodes was not the sort of character that would endear Andy Griffith to his fans for the rest of his life.
From Time • Jul. 3, 2012
Ingratiating performances of these rarely heard, unaccompanied works.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
