as in charming
likely or intended to win one's affection
the fortune hunter's insinuating attentions were having their intended effect on the naive heiress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in infiltrating
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way
years were needed for the agent to insinuate himself into the terrorist organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in implying
to convey an idea indirectly
are you insinuating that I won by cheating?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inserting
to put among or between others
quietly insinuated herself among the concertgoers raptly listening to the piano solo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 insinuating
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
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
But Johnson’s pieces were intimate and insinuating, not imposing, rarely much larger than a comic book and easily overlooked.
—Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022
The only sparks in the evening came from countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Dionysus/Dracula), who commanded attention at every appearance with his insinuating, chromatic vocal line and some spectacular costumes by Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko.
—Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2021
The Harptones had Willie Winfield, a tenor vocalist with immaculate pitch and an insinuating way with a phrase, and Raoul Cita, a gifted vocal arranger who made sure the group's voicings were always distinctive.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2021
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
As Kelce added to a couple weeks ago by imitating Mahomes as payback for Mahomes insinuating Kelce couldn’t find Brazil on the map.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Some right-wing influencers and MAGA-friendly news outlets seized on the killer’s gender identity, insinuating that the shooting had something to do with them being trans.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
But within that slightly eccentric look, Dano gives a wily and insinuating performance.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have been on the defensive after promising full transparency and insinuating new bombshell developments in the case.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 July 2025
Bolsonaro never formally conceded his narrow electoral defeat to Lula in October 2022, insinuating that instead the election had been stolen.
—Anthony Pereira, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Rather than viewing the insinuating and undeniably creepy Gacy as an inherent threat, Macmanus finds the tragedy in the disparate and desperate circumstances amid which Gacy might have represented an illusion of hope.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
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
But Johnson’s pieces were intimate and insinuating, not imposing, rarely much larger than a comic book and easily overlooked.
—Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022
The only sparks in the evening came from countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Dionysus/Dracula), who commanded attention at every appearance with his insinuating, chromatic vocal line and some spectacular costumes by Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko.
—Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2021
The Harptones had Willie Winfield, a tenor vocalist with immaculate pitch and an insinuating way with a phrase, and Raoul Cita, a gifted vocal arranger who made sure the group's voicings were always distinctive.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2021
Verb
Cardi responded in kind, speculating whether or not Minaj was abusing substances, and insinuating that Minaj’s substance use has affected her children’s health.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
As Kelce added to a couple weeks ago by imitating Mahomes as payback for Mahomes insinuating Kelce couldn’t find Brazil on the map.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Some right-wing influencers and MAGA-friendly news outlets seized on the killer’s gender identity, insinuating that the shooting had something to do with them being trans.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
But within that slightly eccentric look, Dano gives a wily and insinuating performance.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have been on the defensive after promising full transparency and insinuating new bombshell developments in the case.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 July 2025
Bolsonaro never formally conceded his narrow electoral defeat to Lula in October 2022, insinuating that instead the election had been stolen.
—Anthony Pereira, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insinuating
Adjective
-
Her protagonist, known to have been derived from herself in a few other ways, blunders along and is charming but delusional, unlike Austen’s fiercely independent and witty Elizabeth Bennet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
-
With more time, detour west for a half-day into tiny Siloam Springs, home to a postcard-charming downtown and impressive kayak park (open year-round; just check the website for current river conditions).—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Continue reading … COZY CONNECTIONS – Mamdani hands big check to radical group boasting about infiltrating his campaign.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
This cannot be accomplished without infiltrating and taking over the PLO, something Hamas has never managed to do.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Friends alum also spoke about how the tabloids implying her personal timeline for starting a family wasn’t true.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
-
That small sample, however, revealed massive amounts of unprotected data, implying that far more may still be exposed worldwide.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Also on Sunday, Sturm scratched second line center Casey Mittelstadt, moving Pavel Zacha to center and re-inserting Khusnutdinov back into the lineup and onto the second line.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Back in 2019 the Dolphins were intentionally tanking the team, trading quality players before the season and routinely inserting players claimed off the waiver wire into the lineup.—
Omar Kelly
Updated October 19,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sweeney stars as Penny Jo, a South Dakota diner waitress with an appealing smile, an ingratiating stammer, a scarf in her hair, and deep reserves of ruthless ambition.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Still, on a moment-to-moment basis, the film has tension, strong character dynamics and sharp individual portraits whose astringency gets alleviated by Gottsagen and James’ more ingratiating turns.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Finally, Aleah and Tom end up at the house, slowly sneaking around and trying to maintain the upper hand in a dazzling shoot-out.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
But the main action involved Norman Reedus’ Daryl sneaking into El Alcazar and killing pretty much everyone there of any villainous importance, while also freeing Roberto’s girlfriend Justina (Candela Saitta).—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Elordi may be indicating that Levinson is taking Euphoria season 3 in the direction of the single-character specials that aired between seasons 1 and 2 in 2020 and 2021.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Home improvement stores have been moving into the Halloween space, with the survey indicating 14% of Halloween shoppers intend to visit stores like Home Depot, Lowe's and Tractor Supply.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Authors used real-world data to build on previous research suggesting that introducing children to peanut, egg, and other high-risk food allergens earlier in life than previously recommended could lower their risks of developing food allergies.—
Beth Ann Mayer,
Parents,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Camille Rowe reunited with Reformation for the brand’s latest collaboration with the French model and actress, introducing a new, limited-edition collection of feminine styles and sensual separates.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insinuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insinuating. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share