inveigle
verb
in·vei·gle
in-ˈvā-gəl 
sometimes -ˈvē-
inveigled; inveigling
in-ˈvā-g(ə-)liŋ
sometimes -ˈvē-
1
: to win over by wiles : entice
2
: to acquire by ingenuity or flattery : wangle
inveigled her way into a promotion
Did you know?
Inveigle, a word that dates from the 16th century, refers to the act of using clever talk, trickery, or flattery either to persuade somebody to do something or to obtain something, but etymologically the word is linked to eyesight—or the lack thereof. Inveigle came to English from the Anglo-French verb enveegler, meaning "to blind or hoodwink someone," from the adjective enveugle, meaning "blind." Enveugle derives from the Medieval Latin ab oculis, a phrase which literally translates to "lacking eyes."
Examples of inveigle in a Sentence
She inveigled him to write the letter.
We inveigled the information from him.
Recent Examples on the Web
On hand for the séance is a thoroughly skeptical Poirot, inveigled to attend by a mystery-novelist friend, Ariadne Oliver.
—
Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023
Norman Mailer tried to inveigle his dinner guests into an orgy, and not long after wrote a cruel letter to Styron, breaking off their friendship.
—Marion Winik, Washington Post, 15 June 2023
At a ball where Byron was surrounded by a flock of ladies, Lamb inveigled the hostess to introduce her, and, having looked earnestly, wordlessly, into the poet’s face, Lamb immediately turned on her heel.
—Clare McHugh, Washington Post, 28 May 2023
Another threat that is likely to inveigle itself into the Web3 domain is phishing.
—Andrew Newman, Forbes, 4 May 2022
All of those thinly veiled efforts to inveigle an answer are met with a stock response.
—New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021
To reach Peru, Dr. Koepcke had to first get to a port and inveigle his way onto a trans-Atlantic freighter.
—New York Times, 18 June 2021
The two cell-surface proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to make contact with its target cells and inveigle its way into them would fit into this category.
—The Economist, 20 Aug. 2020
Great America Alliance used the same bite in 2017 to inveigle black voters away from Democrats, targeting Georgia’s 6th Congressional District’s special election, according to the Washington Post.
—Savannah Behrmann, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023
Norman Mailer tried to inveigle his dinner guests into an orgy, and not long after wrote a cruel letter to Styron, breaking off their friendship.
—Marion Winik, Washington Post, 15 June 2023
At a ball where Byron was surrounded by a flock of ladies, Lamb inveigled the hostess to introduce her, and, having looked earnestly, wordlessly, into the poet’s face, Lamb immediately turned on her heel.
—Clare McHugh, Washington Post, 28 May 2023
Another threat that is likely to inveigle itself into the Web3 domain is phishing.
—Andrew Newman, Forbes, 4 May 2022
All of those thinly veiled efforts to inveigle an answer are met with a stock response.
—New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021
To reach Peru, Dr. Koepcke had to first get to a port and inveigle his way onto a trans-Atlantic freighter.
—New York Times, 18 June 2021
The two cell-surface proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to make contact with its target cells and inveigle its way into them would fit into this category.
—The Economist, 20 Aug. 2020
Great America Alliance used the same bite in 2017 to inveigle black voters away from Democrats, targeting Georgia’s 6th Congressional District’s special election, according to the Washington Post.
—Savannah Behrmann, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Inveigle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inveigle. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inveigle
verb
in·vei·gle
in-ˈvā-gəl
inveigled; inveigling
-g(ə-)liŋ
Legal Definition
inveigle
transitive verb
in·vei·gle
in-ˈvā-gəl, -ˈvē-
inveigled; inveigling
: to lure by false representations or other deceit
whoever unlawfully…inveigles, decoys, kidnaps, abducts, or carries away and holds for ransom or reward or otherwise any person…shall be punished by imprisonment—U.S. Code
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