reingratiate

He tried to reingratiate himself with his friend by offering a sincere apology.

Definition

Verb (transitive): - To restore oneself to favor or good standing: "reingratiate" means to regain the approval, affection, or goodwill of someone, typically after having lost it. - She tried to reingratiate herself with her boss after the argument. (She attempted to win back her boss's favor.)

Usage Examples

• (He worked to restore their positive feelings toward him.)
• (She sought to regain public support.)
• (He used presents as a means to restore the friendship.)

Advanced Usage

• "to reingratiate oneself with someone": the most common structure, emphasizing the effort to win back favor.
  • The student tried to reingratiate himself with the teacher by completing extra assignments. (He aimed to regain the teacher's approval through extra work.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ingratiate (verb): to bring oneself into favor with someone through deliberate effort.
  • She tried to ingratiate herself with the new manager by flattering him. (She attempted to gain favor initially.)
• Ingratiating (adjective): intended to gain approval or favor; flattering.
  • His ingratiating smile did not convince anyone. (His smile was meant to win favor but seemed insincere.)
• Reingratiation (noun): the act of restoring oneself to favor.
  • The process of reingratiation took months of careful behavior. (The restoration of goodwill required time.)

Synonyms

• Reconcile: to restore friendly relations.
  • They reconciled after a long dispute. (They settled their differences.)
• Win back: to regain someone's favor or affection.
  • He tried to win back her trust. (He attempted to restore her confidence.)
• Rehabilitate: to restore to a former state of good standing.
  • The company worked to rehabilitate its reputation. (It sought to repair public opinion.)

Related Idioms

• Get back into someone's good graces: to regain someone's approval.
  • He brought flowers to get back into his wife's good graces. (He tried to win back her favor.)
• Make amends: to compensate for a wrong or loss.
  • She made amends for her mistake by apologizing publicly. (She tried to correct the harm done.)