insinuate
To hint; to suggest tacitly while avoiding a direct statementTo hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.
Recorded US: EncycloPetey, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
» How dare you insinuate that I was lying!
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 sensesTo 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 sentencesHow dare you insinuate that I was lying!
Are you insinuating something?
ruТы на что-то намекаешь? — odexed
What are you insinuating?
ruНа что ты намекаешь? — marafon
deWas deutest du an? — Headfirst1745
Just what are you insinuating?
What're you insinuating?
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
First attested in 1529; Borrowed from Latin īnsinuātus, perfect passive participle of īnsiFirst 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
Forms
insinuates, insinuating, insinuated, insinuated| Base form | insinuate · to insinuate |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | insinuates |
| Present participle | insinuating |
| Past simple | insinuated |
| Past participle | insinuated |
regular · Lesson
Synonyms
13 synonymsWord family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.