insinuation

[in-sin-yoo-ey-shuh n]

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noun

an indirect or covert suggestion or hint, especially of a derogatory nature: She made nasty insinuations about her rivals.

covert or artful suggestion or hinting, as of something implied: His methods of insinuation are most ingenious.

subtle or artful instillment into the mind.

the art or power of stealing into the affections and pleasing; ingratiation: He made his way by flattery and insinuation.

Archaic. a slow winding, worming, or stealing in.

Obsolete. an ingratiating act or speech.

Origin of insinuation

First recorded in 1520–30, insinuation is from the Latin word insinuātion- (stem of insinuātiō). See insinuate, -ion

Related formspre·in·sin·u·a·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for insinuation

innuendo, suggestion, hint

Examples from the Web for insinuation

Contemporary Examples of insinuation

But the insinuation that it contains an inherent nefarious motive is simply a means of dismissing the content.
What We Talk About When We Talk About BDS
Hannah Weisfeld
November 5, 2012
Technically true, but highly misleading in its insinuation that American jobs are being moved overseas.
Is the 2012 Election Finally Breaking Barack Obama’s Way?
Howard Kurtz
November 3, 2012
But now the insinuation is racial: Clinton made those lazy blacks work, and Obama wants to go back to giving them “free stuff.”
Michael Tomasky on Mitt Romney’s Crazy Bill Clinton Gambit
Michael Tomasky
August 9, 2012
Its insinuation into the economy of Iran had been widely observed for years.
Iran's Dangerous Power Vacuum
Gary Sick
November 26, 2009

Historical Examples of insinuation

Again that distasteful expression fraught with distrust and insinuation.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
De Naarboveck did not seem to understand the insinuation conveyed.
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre
If she could repel Madame Beattie's insinuation, it must mean she had something on her side.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
He was an adept in the art of insinuation; besides that, he knew "every one."
Luttrell Of Arran
Charles James Lever
But she, too, was stung to wrath by the insinuation which his words contained.
Kept in the Dark
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for insinuation

insinuation

noun

an indirect or devious hint or suggestion

the act or practice of insinuating

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for insinuation

1520s, from Latin insinuationem (nominative insinuatio) "entrance through a narrow way; an ingratiating oneself," noun of action from past participle stem of insinuare (see insinuate).