Insinuation
//ɪnˌsɪnjuˈeɪʃən// noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act or process of insinuating; a creeping, winding, or flowing in. countable, uncountable
- 2 the act of gaining acceptance or affection for yourself by persuasive and subtle blandishments wordnet
- 3 The act of gaining favor, affection, or influence, by gentle or artful means; — formerly used in a good sense, as of friendly influence or interposition. countable, uncountable
- 4 an indirect (and usually malicious) implication wordnet
- 5 The art or power of gaining good will by a prepossessing manner. countable, uncountable
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- 6 That which is insinuated; a hint; a suggestion, innuendo or intimation by distant allusion countable, uncountable
"Slander may be conveyed by insinuations."
Example
More examples"His voice squeaked when he retorted her insinuation."
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French insinuation, from Old French, from Latin insinuatio, from īnsinuō (“to push in, creep in, steal in”), from in (“in”) + sinus (“a winding, bend, bay, fold, bosom”).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.