allusive

adjective

al·​lu·​sive ə-ˈlü-siv How to pronounce allusive (audio)
-ziv
: characterized by or containing allusion : making implied or indirect references
Both men employ a densely allusive prose, richly embedded with the fruit of their reading, and both use language as a tool by which to explore and define themselves.Michiko Kakutani
One way that Cuarón avoids solipsism is to keep his own most consequential experiences to the story's margins—his parents' split is portrayed obliquely, through allusive moments and eavesdropped conversations.Ann Hornaday
allusively adverb
He speaks so rapidly and so allusively that listening to a lecture by him is an exhausting as well as an enriching experience. Gertrude Himmelfarb
allusiveness noun
Ballet can't convey historical detail; its power is in allusiveness, in imagery, in suggesting states of mind and emotion that words cannot capture. Roslyn Sulcas

Examples of allusive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Image Image Hovsepian, who was born in Isfahan, Iran, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio, makes allusive, shadowy photographs and assemblages that are in the permanent collections of New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Max Berlinger Stefan Ruiz, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 Some are allusive, like the way Sang-won has acquired Ui-ju’s habit of spicing up instant ramen with chilli paste. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023 Ray Johnson, a master of the collage, made work that was cryptic, obsessive, and densely allusive. Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 Their plots were complex, nested, allusive, the sort of TV that demanded activity and attention rather than passivity. Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2023 Style often allowed a filmmaker to set a mood in an allusive way. Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023 Aside from the text on that bottle, O’Brien’s work is allusive and indirect. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 21 July 2023 But by choosing literalness over ambiguity, ‘The Boogeyman’ doesn’t quite stick the landing like that richly allusive 2014 Australian film did. Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023 Gathering forty or fifty images—portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, interior views—in a loose, allusive sequence has become the default position of most contemporary storytelling photographers. Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allusive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of allusive was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near allusive

Cite this Entry

“Allusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allusive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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