n. 1
A clue.
I needed a hint to complete the crossword.
n. 2
An implicit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.
He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.
n. 3
A small, barely detectable amount.
There was a hint of irony in his voice.
v. 1
To imply without a direct statement; to provide a clue.
She hinted at the possibility of a recount of the votes.

Related words

Forms

Plural: hints → touches, traces, tinges, whiffs…
Past participle: hinted
e.g. hinted → suggested, alluded, insinuated, implied…

Hint or Insinuated?

One may hint at a thing in a friendly way, but what is insinuated is always unfavorable, generally both hostile and cowardly.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

3 letters: tip¹, cue¹, nod¹, dab¹
4 letters: mean¹, lead¹, wind¹, clue¹, dash¹, lick¹, tint¹, moot¹
5 letters: touch¹, taste¹, refer², trace¹, spark¹, pinch¹, scent¹, imply², steer¹, shred¹, whiff¹, hunch¹, speck¹, tinge¹
6 letters: chance¹, moment², advice², breath¹, prompt¹, allude²
7 letters: thought¹, suggest², mention², glimpse¹, whisper², glimmer², inkling², modicum³, vestige²
8 letters: intimate³, innuendo⁴, allusion³
9 letters: reference³, suspicion³, insinuate⁴, scintilla³, adumbrate
10 letters: suggestion³, indication⁴, sprinkling², smattering³, admonition⁴, intimation⁴
11 letters: implication⁴, insinuation⁵

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (refer² = 2 syllables).