William Attwood
C. D. Maginnis
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When you ingratiate yourself, you put yourself in someone’s good graces in order to gain their approval or favor. While the word ingratiate does not necessarily imply that your behavior is obsequious or otherwise improper, the word may be used disapprovingly by those who distrust your motives. The word entered English in the early 1600s from the combining of the Latin noun gratia, meaning “grace” or “favor,” with the English prefix in-. Gratia comes from the adjective gratus, meaning “pleasing, grateful.” Gratus has, over the centuries, ingratiated itself well with the English language as the ancestor of a whole host of words including gratuitous, congratulate, and grace.
Examples of ingratiate in a Sentence
Paige Williams, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
No doubt the Cady of this Cape Fear has the intelligence to try the same tactics, but one of the major ways the TV adaptation has distinguished itself from the movies — and has, finally, gotten itself into a groove — is that Cady has worked to ingratiate himself with the Bowdens.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 June 2026
The interview is also likely to touch on how Epstein was able to ingratiate himself with Gates just three years after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 10 June 2026
Unlike the original, Ludwig Kaiser is fluent in Spanish and used this to ingratiate himself into the culture of Lucha Libre.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ingratiate
Cite this Entry
“Ingratiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingratiate. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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ingratiate
verb
