What does "innuendo" mean?

A derogatory hint or reference to, or (often sexual) insinuation about, a person or thing.

What is a synonym for "innuendo"?

Common synonyms include: insinuation, hint, intimation, overtone, accusal, accusation.

Pronounced //ˌɪnjuˈɛndəʊ//.

//ˌɪnjuˈɛndəʊ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
A derogatory hint or reference to, or (often sexual) insinuation about, a person or thing.
"She made a devious innuendo about her opponent, who was embarrassed."
2
an indirect (and usually malicious) implication wordnet
3
A remark that is suggestive of something sexual without stating it explicitly.
"We were both quite good friends and apart from the playful innuendos about having an affair together we never really did anything."
4
A rhetorical device with an omitted, but obvious conclusion, made to increase the force of an argument.
5
Part of a pleading in cases of libel and slander, pointing out what and who was meant by the libellous matter or description.

Verb

1
To interpret (something libellous or slanderous) in terms of what was implied. transitive
"A statement that a person's presence at a certain club may be "irksome," may be innuendoed that the person is of such bad character as not to be a fit associate with honourable men."

"And then she let slip a not-so-subtle innuendo about my drinking habits."

From the Latin innuendō (“by nodding”), ablative singular form of innuendum (“a nodding”), gerund of innuō (“I give a nod”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.