First Known Use: 1612
Dictionary
allusion
noun al·lu·sion \ə-ˈlü-zhən\
: a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
Full Definition of ALLUSION
1
: an implied or indirect reference especially in literature; also : the use of such references
2
: the act of making an indirect reference to something : the act of alluding to something
— al·lu·sive \-ˈlü-siv, -ziv\ adjective
— al·lu·sive·ly adverb
— al·lu·sive·ness noun
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Examples of ALLUSION
- 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
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Origin of ALLUSION
Late Latin allusion-, allusio, from Latin alludere (see allude)
Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms
Rhymes with ALLUSION
affusion, Carthusian, collusion, conclusion, confusion, contusion, delusion, diffusion, effusion, elusion, exclusion, extrusion, illusion, inclusion, infusion, intrusion, Malthusian, obtrusion, occlusion, perfusion, prelusion, profusion, prolusion, protrusion, reclusion, seclusion, transfusion, Venusian
ALLUSION Defined for Kids
allusion
noun al·lu·sion \ə-ˈlü-zhən\
Definition of ALLUSION for Kids
: a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly
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