as in indicating
to convey an idea indirectly
kept hinting that she wouldn't mind an invitation to spend the weekend at their beach house
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Recent Examples of hinting
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
From there, Towanda pressed Tamar about not wanting to film with the group, a question Tamar brushed off, hinting that her sisters already knew the reason why.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Since then, Swift has been dropping special editions of her album cover, the art heavily hinting to what the album is going to sound like.
—Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2025
Dale, who was closeted at the time of his death, leaves behind notes stashed inside his treasured first-edition books hinting that his wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn) may have had something to do with his ostensible suicide.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Wall Street climbed to fresh record highs after the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest rate cut in nine months — hinting that more reductions could be on the way.
—Benzinga, Freep.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Racing Bulls Formula One driver Isack Hadjar has opened up about reports of his potential Red Bull promotion, hinting that the speculation could materialize next year.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Prior to the season's debut, Han teased the future of the series to Entertainment Weekly, hinting that despite season 3 being billed as the final 11 episodes, she would not be opposed to picking up on the love story later down the line.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Anxiety scores also improved more in the active group, hinting that HD-tDCS could help both depression and anxiety.
—New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
As if hinting toward the most logical endpoint of the premise, the script occasionally flirts with outright nihilism.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
From there, Towanda pressed Tamar about not wanting to film with the group, a question Tamar brushed off, hinting that her sisters already knew the reason why.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Since then, Swift has been dropping special editions of her album cover, the art heavily hinting to what the album is going to sound like.
—Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2025
Dale, who was closeted at the time of his death, leaves behind notes stashed inside his treasured first-edition books hinting that his wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn) may have had something to do with his ostensible suicide.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Wall Street climbed to fresh record highs after the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest rate cut in nine months — hinting that more reductions could be on the way.
—Benzinga, Freep.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Racing Bulls Formula One driver Isack Hadjar has opened up about reports of his potential Red Bull promotion, hinting that the speculation could materialize next year.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Prior to the season's debut, Han teased the future of the series to Entertainment Weekly, hinting that despite season 3 being billed as the final 11 episodes, she would not be opposed to picking up on the love story later down the line.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Anxiety scores also improved more in the active group, hinting that HD-tDCS could help both depression and anxiety.
—New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hinting
Verb
-
Perhaps the most eerie recurring detail in these stories is how a phone will ring, a calm voice in the earpiece implying death is imminent.—
Diana Arterian
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The president himself posted on social media a deepfake video of Schumer implying that Democrats are fighting to give free health care to immigrants in the country illegally.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The department’s content warnings include mild romantic situations and notions of matchmaking, gentle social satire, occasional passive-aggressive dialogue and very mild suggestive themes (but nothing explicit).—
Eric E. Harrison,
Arkansas Online,
1 Oct. 2025
-
This result is suggestive but not conclusive, as it was based on modeling and not direct measurements.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Currently, there is no data indicating the containment progress of the fire and its cause remains unknown.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Smashing Machine even gets an A24-like CinemaScore of B-, indicating a divide among those who watched it.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In the process, the day-to-day nightmare of Dana’s new reality gets lost, even if the more insinuating discomfort of her present-day reality has been enhanced.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
8 Dec. 2022
-
The complaint says that since at least early 2021, McKillips had been posting messages insinuating or explicitly threatening to harm the government or federal agents.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC News,
2 Nov. 2022
Verb
-
These rare steroids were linked to ancient sponges, but the findings sparked debate, with some suggesting alternative origins, including non-biological processes.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has fueled additional uncertainty by suggesting that his administration could use the shutdown to impose permanent cuts to the federal workforce and social programs.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Contemporary fiction as it is practiced today in many mainstream forms is honed to that rapid symbolic interpretation.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Even they’re relegated to little more than supporting players and symbolic representations of troubled youth straight out of a BBC kitchen-sink passion play.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For those of us who have loved Carmen Maura since the first of her seven features with Pedro Almodóvar 45 years ago, watching her expressive face in Calle Málaga is its own wondrous reward.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
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Clinical leaders working with psychedelics could incorporate music‑based therapy, sound baths and expressive visual and vocal art for trauma, not as an add-on, but as tools on par with talk therapy.—
Sonia Singh,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hinting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hinting. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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