ingratiate

UK/ɪnˈɡɹeɪ.ʃi.eɪt/US/ɪnˈɡɹeɪ.ʃi.eɪt/

verbC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,881 of 15,258neutralformal · an editor’s judgement

Other forms: ingratiating, ingratiated, ingratiates

To ingratiate yourself is to work your way into somebody's favour. Compliments, small favours, and a great deal of agreeing.

The word is always disapproving, and it is nearly always reflexive, so you ingratiate yourself with somebody. What makes it an accusation is the calculation behind it, since being liked is fine and setting out to be liked for advantage is not. The adjective ingratiating describes a manner, and an ingratiating smile is one nobody trusts. The root is Latin gratia, favour, which also gives English grace and gratitude.

Definitions of ingratiate

1verbingratiateTo make yourself liked in order to gain advantage.C1
“He tried to ingratiate himself with the new manager.”

Where it comes from

Latin
in grātiam — for the favor of
Medieval Latin
*ingratiatus
Italian
ingraziare
English, today
ingratiate

First attested in 1622. From Italian ingraziare or Medieval Latin ingratiatus, from Latin in grātiam (“for the favor of”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove, A Song of Ice and Fire

First appears in chapter 14 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

ingratiate in the wild

However, after 12 years, he became critical of the life of an official as he refused to ingratiate himself with senior officials.
Zheng Xie
Archie's attempts to ingratiate himself with Brewster only get him further into trouble.
Indiscretions of Archie
The actor abandons his conscience to ingratiate himself with the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis), keep his job and improve his social positions.
Mephisto (novel)
Charm becomes superficial when it is motivated by a desire to ingratiate or persuade whilst hiding large aspects of one's personality, subverting the genuine warmth of ordinary charm.
Superficial charm
In an attempt to ingratiate himself with the new regent, he is believed to have had rumors spread which contributed to the fall of Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt.
Nils Henric Liljensparre

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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