What does ingratiate mean?
Word: Ingratiate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Ingratiate means to try to make someone like you, often by flattering them, so that you can gain something. It is used as ingratiate yourself with someone.
Synonyms: flatter
How do you spell ingratiate?
Syllables: in - gra - ti - ate
Tricky part: The 'sh' sound is spelt ti, not ci, and the vowel after r is a, not e.
Watch out for: ingraciate, ingretiate, ingratiat
Memory tip: It shares grat with gratitude and grateful, words about favour and thanks: you ingratiate yourself to win someone's favour.
Ingratiate in a sentence
Example 1: The new boy tried to ingratiate himself with the captain by carrying his kit bag.
Example 2: Salesmen sometimes ingratiate themselves with customers by praising their taste.
Example 3: She refused to ingratiate herself with the boss just to get a promotion.
Fun Fact
Grace, gracious and ingratiate all come from the Latin gratia, favour; the phrase in gratiam meant into favour.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is not. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. favour 2. praise 3. sincerly 4. ingratiate
a) to try to win favour by flattering
b) words that show you admire someone
c) in an honest and truly meant way
d) kind help or approval
Show answer
c) in an honest and truly meant way. Sincerly has lost a vowel just before its -ly; praise, favour and ingratiate are spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
ingrati_t_
a) i, e
b) e, e
c) a, e
d) a, a
Show answer
c) a, e. Like create and calculate, the verb ends in -ate.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word ingratiate as used in the sentence:
The trainee tried to ingratiate himself with the senior doctors by agreeing with everything they said.
a) charm
b) impress
c) please
d) alienate
Show answer
d) alienate. To alienate people is to push them away, the reverse of winning their favour; please, impress and charm all aim at that favour.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Some pet cats igattaeinr themselves with visitors by purring loudly near the biscuit tin.
a) integrate
b) ingratiate
c) irritate
d) gratitude
Show answer
b) ingratiate. Integrate and irritate are too short for these ten letters, and gratitude is a noun with a u.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone who tries to ingratiate himself with a teacher might ____.
a) forget her name every single time
b) argue with her almost every day
c) praise her far too much in class
d) skip her lessons far too often
Show answer
c) praise her far too much in class
2. An ingratiating smile is one that ____.
a) tries too hard to please
b) means nothing at all
c) shows real anger
d) hides deep sadness
Show answer
a) tries too hard to please
