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
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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
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Recent Examples of insinuating
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
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
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
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
-
There’s a charming bit of irony in watching one of the most prolific and successful producers in the music industry fumble with his audio output.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Catriona, the charming young heiress to a vast oil fortune, and her two year old son Adam, were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint outside a fish and chip shop in Fife.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
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Alex’s reporting on the lobbyists infiltrating the climate summit ticked off an oil exec whose company takes out a lot of advertising on UBN.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
Verb
-
Aunt Agnes might not have been included in the will, but that doesn’t mean she’s done inserting herself into family business.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
-
This past May, Remy addressed Shields directly via Instagram for inserting herself into the former couple’s issues.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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At one point, after Paul has relapsed, Catt comes home and catches a woman sneaking out of their house.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Counihan said Robles rented a car and drove 35 hours over four to five days, sneaking Louie into motels along the way and documenting the entire journey.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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It’s gone from introducing chips for mainstream and semi-premium ultraportables in its first generation to taking on the big chip makers’ laptop silicon over the course of barely two years.—
Wendy Sheehan Donnell,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
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While the feature films have been on hold since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm and Disney have pumped out a slew of TV shows featuring fan-favorite characters while also introducing plenty of new faves (looking at you, Grogu).—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insinuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insinuating. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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