# insinuate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/ · frequency rank #47,693

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

## Etymology
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.

## Common misspellings (12)
`inisnuate`, `innsinuate`, `insinaute`, `insinnuate`, `insinuaet`, `insinuatte`, `insinutae`, `insiunate`, `insniuate`, `inssinuate`, `isninuate`, `nisinuate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/insinuate