ingratiating
UK[ɪnˈɡreɪʃieɪtɪŋ]US[ɪnˈɡreɪʃieɪtɪŋ]
adj
Intended to gain approval or favor; charming or flattering in a calculated way.
adj
(of a person or their behavior) Acting in a way intended to make someone like you.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
grat
iating
in
in, into, on
grat
pleasing, thankful, agreeable
iating
Etymology
The word 'ingratiating' is built upon the verb 'ingratiate', which entered English in the 17th century from the Italian phrase 'ingraziare', meaning 'to bring into favor'. This Italian term itself was a construction from the Latin prefix 'in-' (into) and the root 'gratia' (favor, grace, kindness). The core Latin adjective 'gratus' (pleasing, agreeable) is the ultimate source, stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root gʷerə- (to favor, to praise). Thus, the literal sense of 'ingratiating' is 'putting oneself into favor', which evolved into the modern meaning of behaving in a deliberately pleasing or flattering manner to win approval.
Analysis
Structure: in + grat + iating
- in: Latin prefix meaning 'in, into, on'.
- grat: Latin root from 'gratus', meaning 'pleasing, thankful, agreeable'.
- iating: English suffix forming the present participle/gerund of verbs (from '-ate' verb suffix + '-ing').
Examples
He flashed an ingratiating smile at the manager.
Her tone was overly ingratiating, which made her colleagues suspicious of her motives.
The politician's ingratiating remarks were clearly aimed at securing the endorsement.