SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
innuendo
noun
An indirect suggestion, usually unfavorable or insulting.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Unfavorable indirect suggestion
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInnuendo usually carries an unfavorable or suggestive meaning that the speaker leaves unstated.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See innuendo in use
The article substituted innuendo for evidence.
Later, a visitor began to insinuate that Celia had lost the venue because the staff disliked her work. His innuendo relied on raised eyebrows and a reference to what 'everyone had heard,' not on any identified source.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license