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

The Degas’ whereabouts remained a mystery, but the case suggests that Doyle was learning how to insinuate himself in the blue-chip center of the art world, not merely on its fringes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

"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

The real purpose is to insinuate that this person doesn't deserve the basic presumption of privacy.

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024

“You’re not gonna try to come to social media and put her on blast, and insinuate or put out something making it seem like she was doing something she wasn’t doing,” she continued.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2024

“How dare you insinuate that my late wife would talk to you, a pale imitation, rather than to her own husband? How dare you talk to me about hope when hope died with her?”

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

She insinuates that if Evans doesn’t alter her teeth, she will be sent home.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

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

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

These slates appear to have been detached from the strata they cover, by the freezing of the water, which insinuates itself betwixt their layers.

From Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea by John Franklin

Quite the contrary, Pratt has insinuated on social media that they’re onto something.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 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

They had insinuated themselves into the colored community there, Sam said, but a slave catcher nosed around and it was time to flee.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Despite her efforts, Vicki's daughter struggled to gain weight and she felt like medical staff were insinuating she was "not doing enough" and "starving" her baby.

From BBC ● Jun. 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

I have lived, Jhabvala said, like “a cuckoo forever insinuating myself into others’ nests.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 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