as in references
a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
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Recent Examples of allusions
His hours-long speeches, stuffed with classical allusions and thundering with invective, were distributed as pamphlets by the millions.
—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Despite its unnerving intimacy, which suggests either erotic pursuit or familiar proximity, the diminutive print calls to mind the photos of Saul Leiter, a figure surprisingly unmentioned in Ghirri’s essays despite his frequent fond allusions to American street photography.
—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Wear with just a white bralette or a peasant top, fully tapping into the historical allusions.
—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Hers is likewise a solitary journey, for reasons not explained beyond allusions to tight purse strings in this space colonization project, which is a collaboration between multiple agencies, governments and an unnamed private funder.
—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
There is a hyper awareness to TSADACM, a determination to point out each of its Easter eggs and allusions, lest the viewer think Schoenbrun is trying to outsmart anyone.
—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Van Beirendonck gravitates toward loud prints in bright colors and allusions to BDSM, whereas Van Saene makes elegant cocktail dresses for women with bow details and shrunken cardigans.
—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
27 Mar. 2026
Plentiful other allusions suggest the wait may not be too painful; the long breadcrumb trail, sprinkled throughout 2025, gives the impression OR3 is just waiting to burst out of her.
—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
23 Mar. 2026
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Despite its unnerving intimacy, which suggests either erotic pursuit or familiar proximity, the diminutive print calls to mind the photos of Saul Leiter, a figure surprisingly unmentioned in Ghirri’s essays despite his frequent fond allusions to American street photography.
—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Wear with just a white bralette or a peasant top, fully tapping into the historical allusions.
—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Hers is likewise a solitary journey, for reasons not explained beyond allusions to tight purse strings in this space colonization project, which is a collaboration between multiple agencies, governments and an unnamed private funder.
—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
There is a hyper awareness to TSADACM, a determination to point out each of its Easter eggs and allusions, lest the viewer think Schoenbrun is trying to outsmart anyone.
—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Van Beirendonck gravitates toward loud prints in bright colors and allusions to BDSM, whereas Van Saene makes elegant cocktail dresses for women with bow details and shrunken cardigans.
—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
27 Mar. 2026
Plentiful other allusions suggest the wait may not be too painful; the long breadcrumb trail, sprinkled throughout 2025, gives the impression OR3 is just waiting to burst out of her.
—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusions
Noun
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Layered within the show’s heartfelt humor is also sophisticated wordplay and cultural references.
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Specifically, Isaacson unpacks the words, references, and structure that make one line in particular, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.
Noun
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The document, first reported earlier this month by the tech news outlet 404 media, is a Privacy Threshold Analysis, which is essentially a federal report assessing whether the privacy implications of a tool warrant further government study.
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The implications extend well beyond the art world.
Cite this Entry
“Allusions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusions. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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