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
Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2024
Pumpkin spice has been so successful at ingratiating itself into American culture because of human nature, Lang said.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 31 Aug. 2024
The hope being that these appearances will ingratiate Trump with these young men, enough to bring them out to the polls.
—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
See all Example Sentences for ingratiate 
Dictionary Entries Near ingratiate
Cite this Entry
“Ingratiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingratiate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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ingratiate
verb
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