Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

insinuate

/ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.59 in modern English

Syllables: in-sin-u-ate
IPA: /ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/

9

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.

verb

To creep, wind, or flow into; to enter gently, slowly, or imperceptibly, as into crevices.

verb

To ingratiate; to obtain access to or introduce something by subtle, cunning or artful means.

adj

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her."
"And wilt thou inſinuate what I am? and praiſe me? And ſay I am a Noble Fellow?"
"And, moreover, you need not for a moment to insinuate that the virtues have taken refuge in cottages and wholly abandoned slated houses."
"‘You are quite wrong, my love, in your guess at my meaning. What I insinuated was, that my Georgiana’s little heart was growing conscious of a vacancy.’"
"1728-1729, John Woodward, An Attempt towards a Natural History of the Fossils of England Water will insinuate itself into Flints through certain imperceptible Cracks"
"Some speakers allow the sound of r to insinuate itself between the a and s of wash"

Etymology

First attested in 1529; Borrowed from Latin īnsinuātus, perfect passive participle of īnsinuō (“to push in, creep in, steal in”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + sinus (“a winding, bend, bay, fold, bosom”) -ō (verb-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Origin

First known use: First attested in 1529

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/
British English: /ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

insinuates (present, singular) insinuating (participle, present) insinuated (participle, past) insinuated (past) more insinuate (comparative) most insinuate (superlative)

Derived Forms

insinuatingly insinuatingness insinuative insinuatory uninsinuated

Frequently Paired Words

insinuation insinuator sinuous

Synonyms

advert allude hint imply indicate inkle insinuate intimate moot refer signify suggest

Questions

How do you pronounce insinuate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/.
What does insinuate mean?: To hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.
Where does insinuate come from?: First known use: First attested in 1529.

How to pronounce insinuate

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