insinuate

American  

[in-sin-yoo-ayt] / 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

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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

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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

Her tales defy easy categorization—suspense shockers? ghost stories? horror sketches?—even as they insinuate themselves into our souls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 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

She just didn’t put up with B.S. from guys who were trying to diminish her, call her irrational and insinuate she was clingy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025

Reese also pointed to her ring finger in front of Clark to insinuate that she and LSU would be taking home the championship, which they did.

From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2024

“That’s ridiculous to even insinuate I’d believe in coincidences. What is a coincidence?”

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

His press flak insinuates it’s because the senator’s name sounds like that of a nameless criminal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025

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

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 intimates and insinuates, gesturing at deeper meaning that never materializes.

From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2023

Of all the products in which this magical property insinuates itself, there is not one to which it contributes so much as the man of fashion.

From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. II (of II) by Charles James Lever

It also insinuated that recent testing of the coaster has met Universal’s sound requirements with the county.A community meeting is being planned by Universal and the Toluca Lake Homeowners Assn., stated the post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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

The best thing about “Lines of Resolution” is how powerfully it drives home that television has insinuated itself into every aspect of contemporary life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

Renaldo Gouws initially insinuated one of the videos was doctored and denied it but a statement issued by the DA on Thursday said it was "genuine and not a fake".

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2024

Tamar Lewin, who had insinuated herself in the world of teenage girls for a memorable chapter in the race series, knew from the beginning that she wanted to write about class divisions within families.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Haters have never outright called Raman a convenenciera, I said, but that’s what they’re insinuating in almost every other sentence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 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

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

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 16, 2025

The congresswoman also triggered a response from the official account of the House Committee on the Judiciary, chaired by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, insinuating that because Miller is Jewish, her comments were antisemitic.

From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2025

While she must have been tuckered out from pretending to be Mrs. Barley and insinuating herself into the highest levels of Southern society, she didn’t show it.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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