Innuendo is defined as follows:
A veiled or hinted reflection on the character or reputation of a person
It falls into the category of passive-aggressive communication because a) it is indirect and b) it is usually used to insult or attack.
It’s fairly obvious that any attack or insult is likely to cause the other person (the person being attacked) to react with anger resulting in escalated conflict. Oddly enough a person using innuendo may actually be unaware of his or her own feelings and unaware that he or she has actually attacked another person.
This leads to a fundamental problem where the innuendo user denies any intention to insult when challenged by the recipient. Even if the person using it is aware of his/her malicious intent, there may be continued denials since the use of it is clearly designed to escape responsibility for the attack, and to provide deniability.
Innuendo is fatal to dialogue and creating understanding.
