Ingratiating / adjective / in·​gra·​ti·​at·​ing

Have you ever been to a social event and had the host or hostess go out of their way to see that you were comfortable and had everything you needed?

These behaviors represent the example of an ingratiating host. We use the word ingratiating in English to describe behaviors that people engage in to gain favor and get into the social graces of other people they engage with in social situations or business dealings.

We can describe ingratiating behavior in terms of "people pleasing" in a positive sense. We usually see people ingratiating themselves to others as gracious and likable.

In a Sentence

Her ingratiating behavior as a hostess led to the formation of key partnerships and business deals when her guest spread the word about the great time she had at her event.

People who display ingratiating behavior to their friends and colleagues are usually well-liked and well-respected in many social circles.

Engaging in ingratiating behavior is often necessary when you want to gain favor with new people or win business deals.

Etymology

We started using the word "ingratiate" around 1620 to represent putting oneself in a position to receive favor or grace from others. Ingratiating is a derivative of Medieval Latin words that represent favor and grace.

The word ingratiating is still used to describe the behaviors we engage in to gain favor with others.

Synonym

Flattering, Endearing

Antonym

Unendearing, Unigratiating