insinuate

American  

[in-sin-yoo-eyt] / ɪnˈsɪn juˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• insinuates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• insinuated,
  past participle,  past
• insinuating
  present participle

1. to suggest or hint slyly.

   He insinuated that they were lying.

2. to instill or infuse subtly or artfully, as into the mind.

   to insinuate doubts through propaganda.

   Synonyms:

   inculcate, inject, introduce

3. to bring or introduce into a position or relation by indirect or artful methods.

   to insinuate oneself into favor.

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verb (used without object)

• insinuates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• insinuated,
  past participle,  past
• insinuating
  present participle

1. to make insinuations.

insinuate British  

/ ɪnˈsɪnjʊˌeɪt /

verb

1. (may take a clause as object) to suggest by indirect allusion, hints, innuendo, etc

2. (tr) to introduce subtly or deviously

3. (tr) to cause (someone, esp oneself) to be accepted by gradual approaches or manoeuvres

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Synonym Usage

See hint.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• insinuator
  noun
• preinsinuate
  verb
• half-insinuated
  adjective
• insinuative
  adjective
• insinuatory
  adjective
• preinsinuative
  adjective
• uninsinuated
  adjective
• uninsinuative
  adjective
• insinuatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• insinuating
  present
• insinuated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• insinuate
  simple
• insinuates
  simple
• have insinuated
  perfect
• has insinuated
  perfect
• am insinuating
  progressive
• are insinuating
  progressive
• is insinuating
  progressive
• have been insinuating
  perfect progressive
• has been insinuating
  perfect progressive

Past

• insinuated
  simple
• had insinuated
  perfect
• was insinuating
  progressive
• were insinuating
  progressive
• had been insinuating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will insinuate
  simple
• will have insinuated
  perfect
• will be insinuating
  progressive
• will have been insinuating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of insinuate

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin insinuātus, past participle of insinuāre “to work in, instill.” See in- ², sinuous, -ate ¹

Explanation

Insinuate means you imply or suggest something that may or may not be true. If you say things seemed to go wrong about the time your brother took over, you insinuate that he had something to do with the decline. There's another way to insinuate. Suppose you're in line to get into a popular dance club when a celebrity appears, surrounded by a big entourage. If you strike up a conversation with one of the entourage, you may be able to insinuate that you're part of the group and go in with them. Don't feel bad — people have been doing it at least since the 1520s, when insinuate evolved from the Latin word insinuare, meaning "wind one's way into."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

insinuate insinuates insinuated insinuating

It and other rags insinuate the problem, As Ever, is the royal formerly known as Meghan Markle.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

“I don’t want to insinuate that we’ve lost our values. The Big Ten has had to adjust to the overall shift in college athletics and the marketplace around it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

"I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that – and to insinuate that I did is disgusting," Platner said in a statement to the BBC.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025

But maybe that wouldn’t have happened, Hutson said, if local officials had been more cooperative and criminal elements weren’t allowed to insinuate themselves so deeply into their communities in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025

How dare he insinuate anything of that sort!

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Sibarium insinuates that Lucero has exercised undue influence over residency acceptances.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2024

Thai Union, the filing insinuates, pressured the company into “burdensome supply obligations” that had little to do with the restaurants’ actual needs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2024

"The Morning Show" insinuates that Hamm's Marks lives a tabloid-baiting life as well, but separates his material identity from his flirtation with UBA, the show's version of America's top-rated TV news network.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2023

Harding insinuates himself into Adil’s life to get closer to Ruhaba, who seems to recognize Harding’s attraction to her while keeping him at a collegial distance.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2023

He is never mean or small in his disputes, never insinuates evil which he dare not say out.

From The Man Who Pleases and the Woman Who Charms by John A. Cone

Herta Müller’s account of growing up in Ceaușescu’s Romania documents how the state insinuated oppression into every corner of life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

In an interview with an Argentine daily, Venezi, 36, insinuated that jobs in the opera orchestra were "practically passed down from father to son", angering musicians.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

"Constantly assuming new faces, it has insinuated itself into the heart of our societies, into every crack, too often accompanied by that same pact of cowardice: to keep silent, to refuse to see."

From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026

Nunes’ attorneys claimed that Tapper insinuated that Nunes “has a depraved mind and that he acted immorally, fraudulently, unprofessionally, spread lies about Paul Pelosi, and disparaged and defamed Paul Pelosi.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024

“There is a definite agitating element” in antipoverty agencies in Durham, Galifianakis insinuated, and asked the FBI’s assistance in uncovering the “troublemakers.”

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Mahnoor says he also cropped images of her with a group of friends, to make it appear that she was standing with a single man, insinuating that they were having an affair.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

Since the Epstein files release, Pozhidaeva has been contending with social-media posts and blogs insinuating she is a Russian spy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

At the time of Pratt’s announcement, a rep for Mayor Karen Bass issued a scathing response, insinuating that the bid was little more than a publicity stunt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

He responded with, “There goes the house,” insinuating that he’s going to lose it.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 16, 2025

Something furry pushed itself against her side in one smooth, insinuating motion, Coraline jumped, then breathed a, sigh of relief when she saw what it was.

From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman