ingratiatory

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈɡreɪʃiəˌtɔri/ UK /ɪnˈɡreɪʃiətəri/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
intended to win favor or approval; ingratiating

He greeted the new manager with an ingratiatory smile.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · intended to win favor or... ingratiating fawning obsequious flattering sycophantic

Opposites

abrasiveoff-putting

Word family

Related forms ingratiateingratiationgrace gracious

Etymology

From ingratiate (from Latin phrase in gratiam, 'into favor', from gratia 'favor, grace') + the adjective suffix -ory. Latin gratia derives from gratus ('pleasing').

in gratiam Latin gratia Latin gratus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ingratiatory

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈɡreɪʃiəˌtɔri/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈɡreɪʃiətəri/

## Meanings
1. intended to win favor or approval; ingratiating

## Examples
- He greeted the new manager with an ingratiatory smile.

## Synonyms
- ingratiating
- fawning
- obsequious
- flattering
- sycophantic

## Antonyms
- abrasive
- off-putting

## Related Forms
- ingratiate
- ingratiation
- grace
- gracious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: in gratiam
- Root: gratia
- Root: gratus

## Etymology
From ingratiate (from Latin phrase in gratiam, 'into favor', from gratia 'favor, grace') + the adjective suffix -ory. Latin gratia derives from gratus ('pleasing').

## AI Etymology
ingratiatory comes from ingratiate (from Latin phrase in gratiam, 'into favor', from gratia 'favor, grace') + the adjective suffix -ory. Latin gratia derives from gratus ('pleasing'). Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the adjective sense is "intended to win favor or approval; ingratiating", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as ingratiate, ingratiation, grace, and gracious. Its semantic neighborhood includes ingratiating, fawning, obsequious, and flattering, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin in gratiam, Latin gratia, and Latin gratus.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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