Thesaurus results for ALLUSIVE

allusive

adjective

Definition of allusive

as in referring

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of allusive Yarvin tends to extreme digression, while Land speaks with the allusive compression of a guru. — James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026 David Bowie, charming in interviews, and leaning toward the abstract and allusive in his lyrics, was not given to weighing in on news events. — Alexander Larman, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026 At times sparse and allusive, Moon’s poems use blank space and other stylistic considerations to convey a voice and thought that ranges from the contemplative to the surreal and absurd. — Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 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 See All Example Sentences for allusive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusive

Adjective

But both are also currently trending higher by around 18% compared to last month indicative of current crude market volatility.

— Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
To even be at the table is indicative of how far the club has come.

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of indicative

Adjective

According to the announcement, the semi-acoustic record draws inspiration from reflective touchstones in Young’s catalog such as Comes a Time and Prairie Wind, with lyrics that grapple with memory, mortality and renewal.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 7 Aug. 2026
Caltrans has been slowly removing those 1960s-era signs with the letter studded with reflective dots and replacing them with newer ones.

— Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of reflective

Adjective

Semantic bleaching is another linguistic process whereby the denotative content of a word is stripped away.

— Brandon Tensley, CNN, 10 July 2022
The paragon of such an attempt is something like Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, a work that stands as a denotative record of the social media shift, yet still falls to the same difficulties that characterize other cultural criticism of this type.

— SPIN, SPIN, 8 Feb. 2022

Definition of denotative

Adjective

But the Jack-o’-Lantern’s telltale gills, or long, deep slits under the cap, will set you straight, since the chicken of the woods has pores underneath instead.

— Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
Approaching the plant, there are no telltale dumb-bell silhouettes on the horizon signaling its presence.

— Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of telltale

Adjective

Errors damaged trust and diminished influence whether or not the robot was expressive.

— Yigit Topoglu, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
More’s The Real Thing—taut and metallic, expressive and immediate, unmistakably of its time and place—Pork Soda laid its ground by reducing elements until the negative space formed an architecture of its own.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of expressive

Adjective

Although antineutrinos rarely interact with matter, physicists can identify them through a characteristic double-light signal that distinguishes them from background radiation.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
The facial fat pads that create fullness in the cheeks and temples sometimes shrink faster than skin can retract, producing a characteristic hollowing and laxity.

— Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of characteristic

Adjective

The situation is also symptomatic of broader strains on the country's higher education system, where grossly limited spots leave millions cramming for months, or even years, and high-stakes entrance exams leave many of them burnt out and in debt.

— Sakshi Dayal, USA Today, 22 July 2026
The controversy the ad stirred up is symptomatic of a deeper rupture.

— Harry Booth, Time, 17 July 2026

Definition of symptomatic

Adjective

Dating back an astounding sixty-five years, MAD’s iconic sequential art is symbolic of today’s new cybersecurity battlefront.

— Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Right tackle Austin Jackson returned to practice after missing the previous two practices and tight end Greg Dulcich again wore a red jersey, symbolic of no contact.

— Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of symbolic

Browse Nearby Words

allusions

allusive

alluvion

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“Allusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusive. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of allusive

adjective

Example Sentences

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