insinuatingly
1
8.4
- adverb
- /ɪnˈsɪn.ju.eɪ.tɪŋ.li/
- When he looked over his glasses, he saw a boy and girl standing in an insinuatingly sexual posture.
Examples
-
He smiled at her insinuatingly, as if he expected her to understand his true intentions.
-
" She spoke insinuatingly, with a smile and a glance toward me."
Fiction book (1997) -
He speaks insinuatingly, questioningly: She's out of her mind.
Fiction book (2002) -
But his speech is so subdued as to constantly catch me off guard; yes, and he expresses himself somehow insinuatingly, with the faintest trace of a lisp.
Fiction book (1997) -
Lockerman indignantly quoted the defense lawyer's argument to the all-male jury: "Gentlemen of the jury," he smiled insinuatingly at his peers, "you saw this woman on the witness stand; you saw how nervous she was when she testified."
Academic text (2007) -
She spoke insinuatingly, suggesting there was more to the story than she revealed.
-
With a raised eyebrow, he insinuatingly hinted at a secret that no one else was aware of.
Synonyms
74
4.2
In a way that does not say something clearly, often by a hint or through someone else
44
5.1
In a way that is not obvious or easy to notice
36
5.6
In a way that is understood without being directly said
10
7.3
In a way people understand without anyone saying it
3
7.4
In a way that hints at sexual interest without saying it
1
7.8
Someone speaks in a short, indirect way that only hints at the meaning
1
8.9
In a way that sounds like a compliment but actually criticizes
1
7.9
In a way that shows something without saying it
1
7.9
In an indirect way that hints at something
Antonyms
How Indirect
Surface Forms
Morphology
insinuatingly = insinuating (transparent) = insinuate + ing + ly
The adverb is directly formed by adding '-ly' to the participial/ adjectival base 'insinuating', so the manner meaning is predictable.
Etymology
Insinuatingly comes from Latin parts in- 'into' and sinus 'curve' and makes us think of something that slips in slowly. The same root is in sinuous ('curvy'). So, to speak insinuatingly is to slip a hint into someone's mind in a sly or indirect way.