ingratiation

American  

[in-grey-shee-ey-shuhn] / ɪnˌgreɪ ʃiˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of establishing oneself in the favor or good graces of someone, especially by deliberate effort in order to influence or manipulate.

   I struggle to free my store staff—and myself—from this constant dignity-sapping, servile ingratiation with customers.

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Etymology

Origin of ingratiation

ingrati(ate) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

And yet, the ingratiation, however distracting, is also strategic.

From New York Times • Jun. 26, 2023

And so they escalate their efforts at ingratiation, plotting disastrous reunions first with Hilda’s estranged sister, and then with her former flame.

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2022

What begins as a backstage satire of white cluelessness and Black ingratiation gradually broadens and darkens into something far more mysterious: a peculiarly American tale of lost opportunity.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2021

Bob is a unique figure in Hardy’s CV: he is basically likable and relatable, and Hardy’s face and style have always resisted this kind of ingratiation.

From The Guardian • May 14, 2020

On the other hand, cringing ingratiation sounded in every word addressed to him by his female clients.

From Yama: the pit by Guerney, Bernard Guilbert