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Insinuate: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Insinuate verb. To suggest something unpleasant indirectly, without saying it outright.
How to say it
in-SIN-yoo-ayt/ɪnˈsɪnjʊeɪt/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (SIN). Forms: insinuating, insinuated.
Meanings
- To suggest something unpleasant indirectly, without saying it outright.
- To work yourself gradually and smoothly into a position or someone's favour.
Insinuate in a sentence
Are you insinuating that I ate the last biscuit?
The new manager insinuated himself into the founder's inner circle within weeks.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- imply
- hint
- suggest
- intimate
Where insinuate comes from
From Latin insinuare, to bring in by winding, from sinus, a curve.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The new manager _____ himself into the founder's inner circle within weeks.
- contend
- cavil
- insinuate
Show the answer
insinuate: The new manager insinuated himself into the founder's inner circle within weeks.