insinuate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to suggest or hint slyly.
He insinuated that they were lying.
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to instill or infuse subtly or artfully, as into the mind.
to insinuate doubts through propaganda.
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to bring or introduce into a position or relation by indirect or artful methods.
to insinuate oneself into favor.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to suggest by indirect allusion, hints, innuendo, etc
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(tr) to introduce subtly or deviously
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(tr) to cause (someone, esp oneself) to be accepted by gradual approaches or manoeuvres
Synonym Usage
See hint.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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insinuatornoun
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preinsinuateverb
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half-insinuatedadjective
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insinuativeadjective
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insinuatoryadjective
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preinsinuativeadjective
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uninsinuatedadjective
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uninsinuativeadjective
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insinuativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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insinuatesimple
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insinuatessimple
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have insinuatedperfect
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has insinuatedperfect
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am insinuatingprogressive
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are insinuatingprogressive
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is insinuatingprogressive
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have been insinuatingperfect progressive
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has been insinuatingperfect progressive
Past
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insinuatedsimple
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had insinuatedperfect
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was insinuatingprogressive
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were insinuatingprogressive
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had been insinuatingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing insinuate
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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.
See Examples For:
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
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
The real purpose is to insinuate that this person doesn't deserve the basic presumption of privacy.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 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
Cady, claiming no hard feelings, insinuates himself into their world, apparently friendly, apparently helpful, so that it’s not always clear what’s sincere and what’s strategy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Sibarium insinuates that Lucero has exercised undue influence over residency acceptances.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 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
Under the cover of his detective work, he insinuates himself into Seo-rae’s life — or does she coax him in? — until they’re sharing rooms, meals and rainy walks.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
In these unhappy times, distrust insinuates itself into the closest relations of friendship and kindred.
From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Ingemann, Bernhard Severin
Online creators have insinuated themselves into the D.C. press corps, sitting for briefings with Karoline Leavitt and securing Pentagon credentials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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
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
“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
She said that she finds “anyone even insinuating that might not be the case” to be “very upsetting.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 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
The stench was cruel, insinuating itself into the folds of his clothes.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
