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

In black leather pants, he dances across the stage, flirting with the crowd with as much ingratiation as the camera fawningly displays toward him.

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2023

What’s clear these days is that this edifice of ingratiation is shaky.

From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2022

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

His stage show is leaner than that December set, more deliberate, with fewer attempts at ingratiation.

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2019

I think the latter term is used generally as a means of ingratiation with the ladies, to whom my vagabond always shows a demeanor of agreeable gallantry.

From Venetian Life by Howells, William Dean