Synonym Chooser

How is the word insinuate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of insinuate are hint, imply, intimate, and suggest. While all these words mean "to convey an idea indirectly," insinuate applies to the conveying of a usually unpleasant idea in a sly underhanded manner.

insinuated that there were shady dealings

When is hint a more appropriate choice than insinuate?

The meanings of hint and insinuate largely overlap; however, hint implies the use of slight or remote suggestion with a minimum of overt statement.

hinted that she might get the job

How are the words imply and suggest related as synonyms of insinuate?

Imply is close to suggest but may indicate a more definite or logical relation of the unexpressed idea to the expressed.

measures implying that bankruptcy was imminent

When could intimate be used to replace insinuate?

While in some cases nearly identical to insinuate, intimate stresses delicacy of suggestion without connoting any lack of candor.

intimates that there is more to the situation than meets the eye

When can suggest be used instead of insinuate?

The words suggest and insinuate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, suggest may stress putting into the mind by association of ideas, awakening of a desire, or initiating a train of thought.

a film title that suggests its subject matter

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insinuate In a bold move, Desmond Roberts sang The Commodores in front of Lionel Richie – and taking a risk paid off, as Richie and Luke Bryan insinuated Desmond outdid the former frontman with his cover. Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025 Waltrip, who’d won the Daytona 500 earlier that year after being ahead when rains came, jokingly insinuated that Johnson’s win should have an asterisk. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2025 The Mavs have already insinuated the pick is not available in a trade, and all signs point to them taking the Duke star. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2025 The song insinuated that Lamar had cheated on his fiancée and was physically violent with her. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for insinuate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insinuate
Verb
  • Where to watch: Disney+ 'Deep Cover' There's a motley crew at work in this action comedy, with Bryce Dallas Howard as an improv comedy teacher recruited to infiltrate the London crime scene.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
  • Deep Cover stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Mohammed and Orlando Bloom as a trio of improv actors recruited to infiltrate a dangerous crime syndicate in London.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Verb
  • Billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman offered to bankroll someone, anyone, who would run against Mamdani, implying his mayoralty would spur a flight with the ultrarich.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 June 2025
  • An old friend of Donna’s who, it’s implied, became more than friends after her husband left.
    Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Then, in 2020, with Adams freshly inserted as general manager, the Sabres signed Reinhart to a one-year contract that walked him to free agency.
    Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • Once inserted into an arm, the sensor allows the wearer to monitor their blood-sugar levels on a phone app for $80 to $184 a month.
    Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Cane then sneaks up from behind and kills Grady’s men, freeing his father.
    Keith Langston, People.com, 21 June 2025
  • Universal Studios Florida began its iteration of the attraction in 1990, SyFy noted, featuring, of course, a (mechanical) great white shark that snuck up on riders of the boat tour.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • The document also indicated that more than 6,400 U.S. citizens living in Israel had submitted documentation asking for information regarding U.S.-charted evacuation flights.
    Adam Sabes , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2025
  • The fact that oil prices fell sharply after the news broke also indicates that traders viewed the immediate threat of a widening war as diminished.
    Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • The event introduces square dancing to the community.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025
  • As Machiavelli famously observed, there is nothing more difficult or dangerous than introducing a new order of things.
    Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Here, somehow the Dama survives being burned to death and manages to worm her way back into Hershel’s life.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
  • Despite the gloomy overtones, Loznitsa’s powerful movie asserts that goodness hides within the confines of institutional control, worming its way through the boundaries of bureaucratic red tape in an effort to do some good.
    Eric Kohn, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • Data suggests that drone incursions into restricted airspace are occurring more frequently.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 June 2025
  • Sunny’s debut in the summer of 2005 didn’t suggest that either longevity or greatness were in the offing.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Insinuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insinuate. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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