ingratiate
/ɪnˈɡreɪʃɪeɪt
/verb (ingratiate oneself)
Bring oneself into favour with someone by flattering or trying to please them: a sycophantic attempt to ingratiate herself with the local aristocracy...
- You could even be advised by the presiding judge to try and sell your efforts to barristers-at-law in any future court appearances and ingratiate yourself with the judiciary.
- Obsequiousness tends to refer to a desire to ingratiate oneself, and to win benefits through flattery.
- But the carefully staged set-piece interview in the Times in which he came out had the feel of an ageing crooner desperate to ingratiate himself with the younger generation by bringing out a rap record.
Synonyms
curry favour with, find the favour of, cultivate, win over, get on the good side of, get in someone's good books;
toady to, crawl to, grovel to, fawn over, be obsequious towards, kowtow to, bow and scrape to, play up to, truckle to, pander to, be a yes man/woman to, be a sycophant to, flatter, court, dance attendance on
informal keep someone sweet, suck up to, rub up the right way, lick someone's boots
Derivatives
ingratiation
- You will be fêted and your ego stroked; ingratiation will be the first approach.
- Nor did she apologise for the desire to be admired: it didn't appear to be an act of approval-seeking ingratiation but rather one of aggressive confidence.
- Recycling is useful both as incantation and as ingratiation.
Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin in gratiam 'into favour', on the pattern of obsolete Italian ingratiare, earlier form of ingraziare.