English Dictionary

Definition of “allusion

allusion (əˈluːʒənPronunciation for allusion

Definitions

noun

  1. the act of alluding
  2. a passing reference; oblique or obscure mention

Word Origin

C16: from Late Latin allūsiō,  from Latin allūdere to sport with, allude

Usage examples

  • But she'd dressed up her irrational convictions in the fancy clothes of literary allusion.
    Val McDermid, THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
  • An interesting thread running right through is the constant allusion to similarities and differences with Mexico.
    India Today (1997)
  • That note is sounded in part by the allusion to Turner and his 1838 seascape, The Fighting Temeraire.
    The Australian (2004)
  • His allusion is to the ambivalence of his poetic symbols.
    Times, Sunday Times (2002)
  • The whitish stone had been tinted by iron oxide, but the marine allusion was on the mark.
    Pamela Petro, THE SLOW BREATH OF STONE: A Romanesque Love Story (2005)

Browse dictionary