Synonyms of allusion

allusion

noun

as in reference

a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly

The lyrics contain biblical allusions.

Related Words

• reference
• implication
• inference
• innuendo
• indication
• clue
• insinuation
• intimation
• suggestion
• evidence
• cue
• mention
• inkling
• hint
• idea
• lead
• glimpse
• whiff
• inspiration
• scent
• wind
• glimmer
• breath
• sign
• notion
• signal
• token
• assistance
• flicker
• key
• hunch
• pointer
• prompt
• nod
• denotation
• tip
• mark
• overtone
• wink
• telltale
• guidepost
• tip-off

Dissimilar Words

• solution
• answer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of allusion

None of her fellow students catch her frequent literary allusions, but the principal, Henry Grayle (Matthew Lillard), does. — ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026

The Air Force 1 ’01 Nightmare’s design is an undeniable allusion to the movie’s main antagonist, Pinhead. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

One of Lichtenstein’s takes on Monet in this show features the cathedral buried beneath a matrix of black dots set atop a deep blue background, in what may count as an allusion to Ad Reinhardt’s blue-on-blue abstractions of the ’50s. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Seven decades after Elia Kazan’s film adaptation, his granddaughter Zoe Kazan has distilled her interpretation of Steinbeck’s multigenerational saga, which is deeply structured around biblical allusions, into a seven-episode series for Netflix. — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

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