ingratiate

[in-grey-shee-eyt]

See more synonyms for ingratiate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·gra·ti·at·ed, in·gra·ti·at·ing.

to establish (oneself or someone else) in the favor or good graces of someone, especially by deliberate effort (usually followed by with): He ingratiated himself with all the guests. She ingratiated her colleagues with her well-researched project proposal.

Origin of ingratiate

1615–25; perhaps < Latin in grātiam into favor, after Italian ingraziare. See in, grace, -ate¹

Related formsin·gra·ti·a·tion, nounin·gra·ti·a·to·ry

[in-grey-shee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ɪnˈgreɪ ʃi əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ingratiation

honey, fawning, exaggeration, blandishment, incense, adulation, oil, baloney, wheedling, coaxing, ingratiation, overpraise, eyewash, cajolery, approbation, stroke, plaudits, servility, snow, tribute

Examples from the Web for ingratiation

Contemporary Examples of ingratiation

Blair never made the mistake of underestimating Brooks, and his own considerable powers of ingratiation were exercised on her.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine
Clive Irving
August 25, 2014

Historical Examples of ingratiation

He could not resist her beauty, her warmth, her ingratiation.
We Can't Have Everything
Rupert Hughes
“Then I shall have to call another time,” said the woman, with a mixture of ingratiation and despair.
The Debtor
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
A hansom cab offers peculiar facilities for the aforesaid process of ingratiation.
The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne
William J. Locke
He had prepared himself to be ingratiating; but he realized that ingratiation was not a successful line to pursue with dragons.
The Heather-Moon
C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
The qualities of ingratiation and friendliness departed from M. Garfunkel's smile, leaving it wholly apologetic.
Potash & Perlmutter
Montague Glass

British Dictionary definitions for ingratiation

ingratiate

verb

(tr often foll by with) to place (oneself) purposely in the favour (of another)

Derived Formsingratiating or ingratiatory, adjectiveingratiatingly, adverbingratiation, noun

Word Origin for ingratiate

C17: from Latin, from in- ² + grātia grace, favour

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ingratiation

ingratiate

1620s, possibly via 16c. Italian ingraziarsi "to bring (oneself) into favor," from Latin in gratiam "for the favor of," from in "in" (see in- (2)) + gratia "favor, grace" (see grace).