ingratiate
verb
William Attwood
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When you ingratiate yourself, you put yourself in someone’s good graces in order to gain their approval or favor. While the word ingratiate does not necessarily imply that your behavior is obsequious or otherwise improper, the word may be used disapprovingly by those who distrust your motives. The word entered English in the early 1600s from the combining of the Latin noun gratia, meaning “grace” or “favor,” with the English prefix in-. Gratia comes from the adjective gratus, meaning “pleasing, grateful.” Gratus has, over the centuries, ingratiated itself well with the English language as the ancestor of a whole host of words including gratuitous, congratulate, and grace.
Examples of ingratiate in a Sentence
Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024
Those moments all trace back to Ohtani’s ability to ingratiate himself with his new teammates this year.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Malone has gone out of his way to ingratiate his way into the country community, from performing on last year’s CMAs to doing a spot on the Grand Ole Opry, not to mention inviting most of the most popular singers in Nashville to guest on his album.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024
Abbas initially tried to ingratiate himself to U.S. President Donald Trump but was forced to change course in late 2017 when Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, overturning 70 years of U.S. policy.
—Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ingratiate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ingratiate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ingratiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingratiate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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ingratiate
verb
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