: 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
Michiko KakutaniOne 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
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
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
Roslyn Sulcas
Examples of allusive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Against this backdrop, daily life in Tel Aviv continues in bars, restaurants, self-help routines, segregation and physical exercise, avoiding common sense, adopting an allusive discourse and denying the development of a personal political conscience.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
The Lady From the Sea, one of Ibsen’s most mysterious and allusive plays, centers on the figure of Ellida, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter with a maritime obsession.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 19 Aug. 2025
And indeed, the riches of the Afrikaans language are on display in this sensitive, witty, and allusive rendering of Beckett’s European classic.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 July 2025
Every two-color page shows off some new and unexpected layout or brush technique — there are cutaways and maps and mythical creatures and beautiful, allusive drawings of tigers and flames.
—Sam Thielman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
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Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
The Lady From the Sea, one of Ibsen’s most mysterious and allusive plays, centers on the figure of Ellida, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter with a maritime obsession.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 19 Aug. 2025
And indeed, the riches of the Afrikaans language are on display in this sensitive, witty, and allusive rendering of Beckett’s European classic.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 July 2025
Every two-color page shows off some new and unexpected layout or brush technique — there are cutaways and maps and mythical creatures and beautiful, allusive drawings of tigers and flames.
—Sam Thielman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusive
Cite this Entry
“Allusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allusive. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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