verb · intransitive · rare

insinuate

insinuate · insinuates · insinuated · insinuating

натякнути, натякати

намекать, снискать милость, заискивать перед

unterstellen, andeuten, insinuieren, sich einschleichen

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

ⓘ

/ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/

» How dare you insinuate that I was lying!

Meaning

3 senses

To hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.
She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her.
andeuten, unterstellen, insinuieren
намека́тьnamekátʹ
натяка́тиnatjakáty, натякну́тиnatjaknúty
(rare)To creep, wind, or flow into; to enter gently, slowly, or imperceptibly, as into crevices.
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
(broadly, figuratively)To ingratiate; to obtain access to or introduce something by subtle, cunning or artful means.
sich einschmeicheln, sich einschleichen
заи́скивать пе́редzaískivatʹ péred, сниска́ть ми́лость
introduce or insert (oneself) in a subtle manner

Examples

11 sentences

How dare you insinuate that I was lying!
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Are you insinuating something?
ruТы на что-то намекаешь?
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
What are you insinuating?
ruНа что ты намекаешь?
deWas deutest du an?
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Just what are you insinuating?
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
What're you insinuating?
CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

8 languages

Українська

By meaning 1

hint at (something):

Русский

By meaning 2

hint at (something):

ingratiate oneself:

Deutsch

By meaning 2

hint at (something):

ingratiate oneself:

Origin

First attested in 1529; Borrowed from Latin īnsinuātus, perfect passive participle of īnsi

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.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source