allusion

noun

al·​lu·​sion ə-ˈlü-zhən 

1

: an implied or indirect reference especially in literature

a poem that makes allusions to classical literature

also : the use of such references

2

: the act of making an indirect reference to something : the act of alluding to something

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What is the word origin of allusion?

Allusion was borrowed into English in the 16th century. It derives from the Latin verb alludere, meaning "to play with," "to jest," or "to refer to," as does its cousin allude, meaning "to make indirect reference" or "to refer." Alludere, in turn, derives from a combination of the prefix ad- ("to or toward") and ludere ("to play"). Ludere is a Latin word that English speakers have enjoyed playing with over the years, creating collude, delude, elude, and prelude, just to name a few.

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Allusion and Illusion

Allusion and illusion may share some portion of their ancestry (both words come in part from the Latin word ludere, meaning “to play”), and sound quite similar, but they are distinct words with very different meanings. An allusion is an indirect reference, whereas an illusion is something that is unreal or incorrect. Each of the nouns has a related verb form: allude “to refer indirectly to,” and illude (not a very common word), which may mean “to delude or deceive” or “to subject to an illusion.”

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

But some of those allusions to unproductive mornings and squinting unpreparedness belie an unease with the endeavor of book reviewing itself. —Sloane Crosley, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

Musical theater is the most American art form that exists, all dazzle and jazz hands, but Fitzgerald’s novel draws its power from the lightness of its allusions. —Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024

But Malaparte’s descendants saw Porte Jacquemus’s quiet allusion to the Casa in photographs of the Met Gala that night and invited him to visit. —Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024

The Rings of Power is full of echoes and allusions to the original trilogy. —James Grebey, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin allūsiōn-, allūsiō, from Latin allūdere "to play or romp beside, make a playful allusion to" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at allude

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

allusion

noun

al·​lu·​sion ə-ˈlü-zhən 

: a reference made to something that is not directly mentioned

the book contains many allusions to earlier books

allusive

-ˈlü-siv 

-ziv

adjective

allusively adverb

allusiveness noun