allusion
noun
al·lu·sion
| \ ə-ˈlü-zhən
\
\
Definition of allusion
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from allusion
allusive
\ -ˈlü-siv
, -ziv \
adjective
, -ziv \
adjective
allusively
adverb
allusiveness
noun
Examples of allusion in a Sentence
There are lots of literary echoes and allusions in the novel, but they don't do anything for the tired texture of the prose.
— Tony Tanner, New York Times Book Review, 6 Apr. 1997
So while the former engineering professor with an IQ reportedly tipping 180 enjoys bombarding his staff with math wizardry, scientific jargon and computerese, he also drops frequent allusions to his baseball card and stamp collections …
— Maureen Dowd, New York Times Magazine, 16 Sept. 1990
To my ear this is a beautiful reenactment of the prose of the antebellum South, with its careful grammar, its stately cadences, and its classical allusions and quotations.
— Cleanth Brooks, The Language of the American South, 1985
The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
She made allusion to her first marriage.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
With or without the figurative allusion, like much of Smith’s work, its emotional force is huge. — J.u-s | West Yorkshire, The Economist, "The industry and poetry of David Smith," 17 July 2019 Republicans including President Trump have seized upon Strzok's texts — which included allusions to stopping Trump — as evidence of a biased and even corrupt law enforcement investigation. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "3 key moments from Peter Strzok’s wild hearing," 12 July 2018 It gets hinted at, this allusion to Shiv having had a meltdown. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "In Season 2, Succession Is Sarah Snook's Show," 12 Aug. 2019 There’s an allusion, both in this book’s title and in the stories themselves, to Andy Warhol’s screen tests. — Tobias Carroll, Longreads, "‘I Surprise Myself With This Refusal To Let Go’: Kate Zambreno on the ‘Ghostly Correspondence’," 25 July 2019 But such allusions do not really account for this show’s considerable attractions. — Edward Rothstein, WSJ, "‘Extreme Nature!’ Review: Horror and Beauty in the World Around Us," 13 Nov. 2018 At least one team has changed its name because of an unsavory allusion to a local problem. — New York Times, "Let’s Hear It for Your Hometown Shortcomings!," 30 July 2019 And if nostalgia indulgence, built upon allusions and influences from King and Spielberg, initially turned off some viewers, season two may have turned the repellent up to Eleven (ahem) by doing the sequel thing. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Stranger Things without Spoiler Things: It’s dark, different, and still delightful," 1 July 2019 Cold War allusions are packed into this production at every level. — oregonlive.com, "‘Our Ruined House’ mixes surrealism, humor to explore erosion of trust," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allusion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for allusion
allusion
noun
English Language Learners Definition of allusion
: a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
See the full definition for allusion in the English Language Learners Dictionary
allusion
noun
al·lu·sion
| \ ə-ˈlü-zhən
\
\
Kids Definition of allusion
: a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
Keep scrolling for more