insinuar
verbCEFR B2
What does “insinuar” mean in English?
to imply, to hint
to imply, to hint (insinuar que + indicative — suggesting something indirectly without stating it)
Example sentences
Sus palabras insinuaban que la decisión ya estaba tomada antes de que la reunión comenzara.
His words implied that the decision had already been made before the meeting started.
¿Estás insinuando que mentí en mi declaración?
Are you implying that I lied in my statement?
El informe insinúa, sin afirmarlo directamente, que podría haber existido una trama de corrupción.
The report implies, without stating it directly, that there might have been a corruption network.
How to use it
Insinuar means 'to imply' or 'to hint' — suggesting something indirectly without stating it. It typically involves a negative implication or insinuation. Patterns: insinuar que + indicative, insinuar algo. The noun la insinuación. Unlike dar a entender (to imply — neutral), insinuar often carries a slightly negative or suspicious connotation: you're hinting at something unflattering. Compare: dar a entender (neutral implication), insinuar (hint with negative or suspicious edge), sugerir (suggest — neutral to positive).
Common mistake
Insinuar que takes indicative when asserting the insinuation (insinuaba que lo sabía — he was implying he knew). The slightly negative charge: using insinuar to describe neutral suggestions misses the connotation. In spoken Spanish, ¿me estás insinuando que...? is a challenge or accusation. At B2, the distinction between insinuar (negative/suspicious hint) and sugerir (neutral/positive suggestion) is a register accuracy marker.