ingratiation

ingratiation — noun

1. the process of trying to make yourself liked by someone, often by praising them

1.名詞C1
釋義

the process of trying to make yourself liked by someone, often by praising them or doing things you think will please them, sometimes in a way that does not feel sincere

例句

Lara's constant ingratiation made her coworkers wonder if her kindness was genuine.

adjective + ingratiation: constant / obvious / blatant

Nikhil warned the junior staff that obvious ingratiation would embarrass everyone, not impress the manager.

同義詞
  • flattery

    focuses on verbal praise; less broad than ingratiation, which can include actions

  • sycophancy

    stronger negative judgement; suggests extreme, shameless fawning

  • currying favor

    idiomatic phrase; slightly informal, same meaning

  • brown-nosing

    informal and derogatory; implies obvious, crude attempts

反義詞
  • sincerity

    ingratiation implies hidden motives; sincerity implies honest openness

  • candor

    ingratiation often avoids truthful statements; candor embraces them

文法句型

ingratiation + with + [person/group]

act/process of ingratiation

用法筆記

Frequently carries a negative or skeptical tone — the person described as engaging in ingratiation is often seen as insincere or self-serving. Uncountable; do not use with 'a' or 'an'.

常見錯誤

❌His ingratiations made everyone uncomfortable.
✅His ingratiation made everyone uncomfortable.
💡Sense 1 is uncountable; use the singular form.
❌She used gratitude to win the boss over.
✅She used ingratiation to win the boss over.
💡'Gratitude' means thankfulness, not the act of trying to get into someone's favor.

2. a specific remark, action, or gesture meant to make someone like you or think we

2.名詞C1
釋義

a specific remark, action, or gesture meant to make someone like you or think well of you

例句

Mei offered to help with the late report, a small ingratiation the leader noticed.

countable: a [adjective] ingratiation

Sirin's compliment about the manager's speech was a transparent ingratiation that fooled no one.

同義詞
  • flattering remark

    more specific to words; ingratiation can be non-verbal

  • sweet talk

    informal, focuses on verbal persuasion

  • favor

    neutral — a favor may be sincere; an ingratiation is calculated

文法句型

a/some + ingratiation

an ingratiation

用法筆記

Countable — use with 'a', 'an', or 'some'. Refers to ONE specific action or remark, not the ongoing process. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes a general pattern of behavior, while sense 2 points to a single instance.

常見錯誤

❌His ingratiation of buying coffee was obvious.
✅His act of buying coffee was an obvious ingratiation.
💡Sense 2 cannot take an 'of + gerund' complement directly; rephrase with 'act of' or restructure.
❌Ingratiation is a useful skill.' (when meaning a specific gesture)
✅A small ingratiation like remembering someone's name can help build goodwill.
💡The uncountable version describes the general process, not a single action.