ingratiate
gb/ɪŋɡɹˈeɪʃiˌeɪt/ us/ɪŋɡɹˈeɪʃiˌeɪt/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
gain someone’s favor by flattery
to try to make someone like you (often by flattering them)
Usage pattern:
ingratiate yourself (with [someone]) (by [doing something])
Common mistake:
Often confused with integrate (become part of a group) because the words look similar.
Synonyms
curry favor (Very close meaning; common alternative phrasing.)
|
butter up (More informal and often critical.)
|
flatter (Focuses on praise rather than the goal of gaining advantage.)
|
suck up (Informal and strongly negative.)
|
make a good impression (More neutral; does not imply insincerity.)
Antonyms
alienate (To make someone dislike you or feel distant.)
|
offend (To upset someone and lose their goodwill.)
Collocations
ingratiate yourself with someone
|ingratiate himself with the boss
|ingratiate herself with the team
|ingratiate oneself by doing something
|attempt to ingratiate yourself
|ingratiate yourself into a group
|ingratiate yourself with flattery
|ingratiate themselves with management
|ingratiate yourself with compliments
|shamelessly ingratiate yourself
Themes
social_relations
|persuasion
|workplace
|communication
Examples
- He tried to ingratiate himself with the new manager by praising every decision she made.
- She brought homemade cookies to ingratiate herself with the neighbors, but it felt forced.
- Don’t ingratiate yourself with clients—be helpful and honest instead.
Learner examples
- He tried to ingratiate himself with his boss.
- She used compliments to ingratiate herself with the group.
Verb
formal
C2
action
2
make yourself acceptable to someone
to become accepted or liked by someone
Usage pattern:
ingratiate [someone/yourself] (with [someone])
Common mistake:
This broader sense is less common today; in most contexts English uses 'ingratiate yourself with' for the idea.
Synonyms
endear (More about becoming loved/liked, usually sincerely.)
|
win over (Focuses on changing someone’s opinion to support you.)
Antonyms
displease (To cause someone to not like you or your actions.)
|
antagonize (To actively make someone hostile toward you.)
Collocations
ingratiate yourself with society
|ingratiate someone with a group
|ingratiate yourself with the public
|ingratiate yourself with voters
|ingratiate yourself with the community
|ingratiate yourself with your hosts
Themes
social_relations
|communication
Examples
- He hoped the volunteer work would ingratiate him with the local community.
- The company sponsored the event to ingratiate itself with voters ahead of the election.
- Her calm professionalism quickly ingratiated her with the rest of the department.
Learner examples
- Her kindness ingratiated her with the team.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ingratiate
IPA
GB/ɪŋɡɹˈeɪʃiˌeɪt/
US/ɪŋɡɹˈeɪʃiˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
in - gra - ti - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gra)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: ingratiate
- 3rd Person Singular: ingratiates
- Present Participle: ingratiating
- Past: ingratiated
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.