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
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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.
See Examples For:
Lubinets -- a lawyer by training and an ex-MP -- also faced criticism, with one Ukrainian soldier accusing him on Facebook of being "all too eager to smile and ingratiate himself with the killers".
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
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
Separately, Mr Hampshire also reflected on his worries about people trying to ingratiate themselves with Andrew "in order to make excessive money out the Duke or their association with him".
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2025
But while individuals may flatter him and ingratiate themselves, the market doesn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025
Libya—Mu’ammar Gadhafi was attempting to ingratiate himself with the United States and couldn’t take the chance of antagonizing President Bush.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“He ingratiated himself knowing that one day, he could use that information to defraud clients of thousands of dollars, eventually totaling in the millions,” Savery said Monday in a Santa Ana courtroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The fans ingratiated themselves to the locals so much that the Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, now plans to formalise an international partnership between the city and Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
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
Either way, you'll have ingratiated yourselves with the king.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Ms. Cho’s Ye-ji is sweetly ingratiating, earnest in her desire to capture the lives of working people, yet she has a self-congratulatory air and turns stiff when politely called to account for her own obliviousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
He would begin a performance with Glass at the piano, bestowing an ingratiating quality of quiet pleasure on Ginsberg’s flowery imagery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
The theory, perhaps, is that ingratiating themselves to the locals during this week's tune-ups might soften the vitriol which comes their way over the weekend.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
In person he’s ingratiating, charming, eager to please.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024
“We ain’t doing nothing, lady,” said Neeley with that ingratiating smile which always won over his mother.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
