insinuating
Americanadjective
-
tending to instill doubts, distrust, etc.; suggestive.
an insinuating letter.
-
gaining favor or winning confidence by artful means.
an insinuating manner.
Other Word Forms
- half-insinuating adjective
- half-insinuatingly adverb
- insinuatingly adverb
- preinsinuatingly adverb
- uninsinuating adjective
Etymology
Origin of insinuating
First recorded in 1585–95; insinuat(e) + -ing 2
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.
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
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
A radio with a faulty connection played loud and rasping for a while, then suddenly quiet and insinuating.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
