Innuendo Meaning
/ˌɪnjuˈɛndəʊ/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA derogatory hint or reference to, or (often sexual) insinuation about, a person or thing.
nounA remark that is suggestive of something sexual without stating it explicitly.
Sentence Examples
And then she let slip a not-so-subtle innuendo about my drinking habits.
It's not easy to work under the shadow of innuendo.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her comment contained an ____ that suggested he was not being honest about the project.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gossip column was full of ____ and suggestion, but it didn't state any of the facts clearly.
Word Origin & History
From the Latin innuendō (“by nodding”), ablative singular form of innuendum (“a nodding”), gerund of innuō (“to give a nod”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"At dinner, a dish of stewed eels made Mr. Higgs a little pensive, and he remarked, "that the fair sex slipped through your fingers just like eels." This innuendo was, however, all that disturbed the enjoyment of the day, whose hilarity, as the newspapers say of a public dinner, was prolonged to a late hour."
— 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 273:
"From the start then, the prosecutor David Tudor-Price relied on innuendo to carry his case. […] his whole presentation was based on shoring-up the stereotypes."
— 1981 February 14, Roger Moody, “Retrial for PIE Defendants”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 4:
"“The attacks and allegations from Candace [Owens] are either lies or they are innuendos thrown around with a total reckless disregard for the truth,” Mr. [Blake] Neff said."
— 2025 December 20, Richard Fausset, Ken Bensinger, quoting Blake Neff, “Turning Point’s Annual Gathering Turns Into a Gripefest”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
"We were both quite good friends and apart from the playful innuendos about having an affair together we never really did anything."
— 1995, Bunmi Sofola, Yours Sincerely: Selected Writings of Bunmi Sofola:
"Later in this phone call, Frank assk Libby on a date, and she accepts the invitation. [...] A similar road toward flirtatious innuendo seems to be at work in the following example. / FIELD NOTE / Fred: Who's that beautiful girl in that great sports car?! / Shirley: ((lightheartedly)) Shut up and get in the car! / Fred: You mean I get to ride with the beautiful girl? / […] Of course, flirtatious may be touched off by more marked sexual innuendo. / FIELD NOTE / ((co-workers are working late, finishing a project)) / Velma: You know how it is when you're close but can't stop. / Sid: ((starts to give Velma a shoulder rub)) / Velma makes a comment with a possible sexual meaning, and Sid responds by initiating body contact (in a public place) to show that he hears (and follows up on) the sexual double entendre."
— 1998, Anna Banks, Stephen P. Banks, Fiction and Social Research: By Ice Or Fire, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 43:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her comment contained an ____ that suggested he was not being honest about the project.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gossip column was full of ____ and suggestion, but it didn't state any of the facts clearly.