insinuate
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Latin īnsinuō (“to push in, creep in, steal in”), from in (“in”) + sinus (“a winding, bend, bay, fold, bosom”)
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Verb
insinuate (third-person singular simple present insinuates, present participle insinuating, simple past and past participle insinuated)
- To make a way for or introduce something by subtle, crafty or artful means.
- 1995, Terry Pratchett, Maskerade, p. 242
- Nanny didn't so much enter places as insinuate herself; she had unconsciously taken a natural talent for liking people and developed it into an occult science.
- 1995, Terry Pratchett, Maskerade, p. 242
- To creep, wind, or flow into.
- To enter gently, slowly, or imperceptibly, as into crevices.
- The water insinuated itself into the rock. It became ice, which expanded and cracked large fragments off of the hard stone.
- To ingratiate oneself; to obtain access or favor by flattery or cunning.
- To hint at (something); to suggest or express an idea indirectly.
- She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her.
[edit] Synonyms
- (Make a way for or introduce something by subtle, crafty or artful means.): imply
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
make way for by subtle means
enter gently or imperceptibly
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ingratiate oneself
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hint at (something)
[edit] External links
- insinuate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- insinuate in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
[edit] Anagrams
[edit] Italian
[edit] Verb
insinuate
- second-person plural present indicative of insinuare
- second-person plural imperative of insinuare
- Feminine plural of insinuato
[edit] Latin
[edit] Verb
īnsinuāte
- first-person plural present active imperative of īnsinuō
