Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use insinuate in a sentence

13 example sentences · verb, adjective

Insinuate means to hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement. Example: “She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her.”

Examples of insinuate by meaning

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

  • She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her.

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

  • Some speakers allow the sound of r to insinuate itself between the a and s of wash1999, Charles Harrington Estler, The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations, page 403

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

  • Nanny didn't so much enter places as insinuate herself; she had unconsciously taken a natural talent for liking people and developed it into an occult science.1995, Terry Pratchett, Maskerade, page 242

More sentences with insinuate

  • My most liked post is a quote tweet of the president's Arbor Day greetings in which I insinuated that shrubs should also have a holiday.From the entry quote tweet
  • Because it sounds like you're insinuating that I'm trying to baby trap you, which is just gross.2022, Iris Morland, Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Plus-One. From the entry baby trap
  • Jewlike, the Jesuits have insinuated themselves into every level of society.1996, Howard L Malchow, Gothic images of race in nineteenth-century Britain. From the entry Jewlike
  • 'Tell'er yu'll gi' 'er a bottle ov rum, missus' insinuated Nungi interestedly.1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia…. From the entry interestedly
  • Third, it insinuates that black afro hairstyles (e.g., naturals) relate to African cultural heritage, which is largely untrue.2015, Carmen M. Cusack, HAIR AND JUSTICE: Sociolegal Significance of Hair in Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law, and Public Policy…. From the entry natural
  • Coplans, one assumes, insinuates the pedigree of Ms.2009 July 25, Roberta Smith, “Art or Ad or What? It Caused a Lot of Fuss”, in New York Times. From the entry uncaptioned
  • They insinuated that he had no credibility because he wasn't an industry cancer professional or a highly degreed expert.2009 June 28, Andrew Nikiforuk, “A public tarring in Saudi Canada”, in Toronto Star. From the entry degreed
  • He cajoled and flattered. browbeat and insinuated, wheeled and dealed.1965 September 2, “Outspoken Senate Chief; Mike Mansfield”, in The New York Times, page 2. From the entry wheeled and dealed
  • He flobbered and flumped all over chairs, and he talked endlessly in that rapid, insinuating, confidential marshmallow voice of his - so swift to compassion!1991, Wilbur Sanders, The Big Wolves, page 101. From the entry flobber
  • Since the Knights of Cameliard had insinuated themselves into the household of Rivenloch Castle, she never knew when a Norman warrior might barge into her bedchamber.2007, Sarah McKerrigan [pseudonym; Glynnis Talken Campbell], chapter 1, in Knight’s Prize (The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch; 3), New York…. From the entry Cameliard

Meaning of insinuate

  1. verb To hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.
  2. verb To creep, wind, or flow into; to enter gently, slowly, or imperceptibly, as into crevices.
  3. verb To ingratiate; to obtain access to or introduce something by subtle, cunning or artful means.

Full definition of insinuate

Questions about insinuate in a sentence

How do you use insinuate in a sentence?
Insinuate is used as a verb and adjective. For example: “She insinuated that her friends had betrayed her.”
What is a short sentence with insinuate?
“Coplans, one assumes, insinuates the pedigree of Ms.”
What does insinuate mean?
Insinuate means to hint; to suggest tacitly (usually something bad) while avoiding a direct statement.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: insinuate (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use insinuate in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/insinuate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.