as in reference
a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
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Recent Examples of allusion
This is how Allen’s credits have looked for decades; even the way the cast and crew’s names have been grouped and presented here is distinctly Allen-esque, making the allusion clearer.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Not just the bookish scavenger hunt, but also the culture of people speaking and thinking in literary allusions and textual analysis.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Following her announcement of her 12th studio album, Taylor Swift released the album's tracklist and cover, both of which exhibit allusions to some of the Bard's most notable works.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Busby makes not a single allusion, nor even a hint, at the wholesale destruction, misery and pain of not hundreds, but thousands of African-American families attributable to Hoover’s vicious stranglehold on the city’s South and West sides in the name of drug warfare for untold years.
—Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Not just the bookish scavenger hunt, but also the culture of people speaking and thinking in literary allusions and textual analysis.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Following her announcement of her 12th studio album, Taylor Swift released the album's tracklist and cover, both of which exhibit allusions to some of the Bard's most notable works.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Busby makes not a single allusion, nor even a hint, at the wholesale destruction, misery and pain of not hundreds, but thousands of African-American families attributable to Hoover’s vicious stranglehold on the city’s South and West sides in the name of drug warfare for untold years.
—Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusion
Noun
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Both the ceremony and red carpet, however, avoided any references to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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His reference to the era of performance enhancing drugs of the 1990s and early 2000s drew laughter from media members in his postgame press conference.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The ban also had significant implications for education.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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These results have significant implications for Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory describing the strong force.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Allusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusion. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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