ingratiate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2026 is: ingratiate • in-GRAY-shee-ayt  • verb To ingratiate yourself with others is to gain their favor or approval by deliberately doing or saying things they will like. Ingratiate is usually used with with, and is often (though not always) used disapprovingly. // Scam artists often have an uncanny ability to ingratiate themselves with their victims using subtle flattery that only seems obvious in retrospect. // Although she was nervous to be the new girl in school, Emma quickly ingratiated herself with her classmates through her effortless charm and kind demeanor. See the entry > Examples: “In ever greater numbers, Elizabeth’s subjects flocked north to ingratiate themselves with the Queen’s likely successor.” — Tracy Borman, The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit, and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty, 2025 Did you know? When you ingratiate yourself, you put yourself in someone’s good graces in order to gain their approval or favor. While the word ingratiate does not necessarily imply that your behavior is obsequious or otherwise improper, the word may be used disapprovingly by those who distrust your motives. The word entered English in the early 1600s from the combining of the Latin noun gratia, meaning “grace” or “favor,” with the English prefix in-. Gratia comes from the adjective gratus, meaning “pleasing, grateful.” Gratus has, over the centuries, ingratiated itself well with the English language as the ancestor of a whole host of words including gratuitous, congratulate, and grace.