allusion

American  

[uh-loo-zhuhn] / əˈlu ʒən /

noun

1. a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication.

   The novel's title is an allusion to Shakespeare.

2. the act of alluding; the making of a casual or indirect reference to something.

   The Bible is a fertile source of allusion in art.

3. Obsolete. a metaphor or parable.

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allusion British  

/ əˈluːʒən /

noun

1. the act of alluding

2. a passing reference; oblique or obscure mention

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allusion Cultural  

1. An indirect reference to some piece of knowledge not actually mentioned. Allusions usually come from a body of information that the author presumes the reader will know. For example, an author who writes, “She was another Helen,” is alluding to the proverbial beauty of Helen of Troy.

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Other Word Forms

• preallusion noun

Etymology

Origin of allusion

First recorded in 1540–50; Late Latin allūsiōn- (stem of allūsiō ), equivalent to allūs(us), past participle of allūdere ( allude; al- + lūd- “play” + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

“A move away from the layered, the blobby, the clean — to something with more illusion of or allusion to an id.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Lego aficionados or those who grew up with the sets will likely spy many an allusion to past toys.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

"A 10-year-old child who doesn't understand a joke or an allusion, it's not a big deal. They will understand it at 15, 20, or 40 years old. There are several levels of interpretation."

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

And despite the fact that the story plays out less than 15 years after the end of World War II, there isn’t a single allusion to the war’s impact on the country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

But now it was okay, almost required, every now and then, to make some jokey allusion to these things that lay in front of us.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• quotation