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
Lucy has no personal life, no friends, no sense of self beyond what is absolutely necessary for the plot, and no history beyond vague allusions to a troubled childhood.
—
Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 June 2025
While there’s no telling what the next two films might have in store for her character, knowing the traditionalism of ritualism of the village, there is perhaps some allusion to Arthur’s sister Morgana, who became his downfall.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2025
His work is saturated with references to Irish history, politics, geography, and culture—rich in allusions, both explicit and puzzlelike, to major figures and events.
—Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
At first—in what feels like a winking allusion to the legend that Queen Victoria was unable to conceive of lesbianism—Mary simply can’t fathom the possibility.
—B. Pietras
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 June 2025
While there’s no telling what the next two films might have in store for her character, knowing the traditionalism of ritualism of the village, there is perhaps some allusion to Arthur’s sister Morgana, who became his downfall.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2025
His work is saturated with references to Irish history, politics, geography, and culture—rich in allusions, both explicit and puzzlelike, to major figures and events.
—Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
At first—in what feels like a winking allusion to the legend that Queen Victoria was unable to conceive of lesbianism—Mary simply can’t fathom the possibility.
—B. Pietras
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for allusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusion
Noun
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Typically, riders will aim for between 90 to 120 grams of carbohydrate per hour — for reference, the UK medical guidelines for an adult male is around 275g for the entire day.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
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This is Dunham laying bare for audiences once more — and only her true fans, raised being way too online, would get all the references to her lore.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
11 July 2025
Noun
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The implications of this could be quite large; whereas the traditional TAM for Power servers running IBM’s AIX or IBM i operating systems is estimated at $2 billion, adding new markets for hybrid as-a-service, modernization and SAP HANA use cases brings the TAM to $47 billion.—
Patrick Moorhead,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive, but either way the threat to our Constitution's separation of powers is grave.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Allusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusion. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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