innuendo
n.n. a statement or action that suggests something bad or embarrassing without saying it directly. You use this when someone wants to hint at a secret or a scandal without being obvious.
n. an indirect or subtle suggestion of something unpleasant, offensive, or scandalous. Often used in legal or literary contexts to describe a statement that implies a fact without stating it explicitly.
The politician's speech was full of innuendo about his opponent's past.
The witness's testimony was dismissed by the judge because it was nothing more than sexual innuendo with no evidence to support it.
The author's use of innuendo allows the reader to infer the protagonist's true intentions without the narrator ever stating them outright, creating a sense of tension and mystery.
From the Latin innuendō (“by nodding”), ablative singular form of innuendum (“a nodding”), gerund of innuō (“I give a nod”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 19, 2026