Thesaurus results for ALLUSIVE

allusive

adjective

Definition of allusive

as in referring

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of allusive Where An Orange Colored Day was gestural and allusive, A Rush to Nowhere is direct. — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026 Yarvin tends to extreme digression, while Land speaks with the allusive compression of a guru. — James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026 David Bowie, charming in interviews, and leaning toward the abstract and allusive in his lyrics, was not given to weighing in on news events. — Alexander Larman, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026 At times sparse and allusive, Moon’s poems use blank space and other stylistic considerations to convey a voice and thought that ranges from the contemplative to the surreal and absurd. — Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for allusive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for allusive

Adjective

The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
In the past few weeks, though, the streamer has brought some of those partnerships to an end in a way that feels indicative of a larger strategic shift.

— Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of indicative

Adjective

This in-shower treatment smooths the cuticle for reflective, glass-like shine, leaving strands softer, silkier, and ultra-glossy in just one minute.

— Madison San Miguel, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026
De Baise explained that this is reflective of a popular footwear trend of the ’90s, a decade Vaccarello is widely known to be aesthetically attached to.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of reflective

Adjective

Semantic bleaching is another linguistic process whereby the denotative content of a word is stripped away.

— Brandon Tensley, CNN, 10 July 2022
The paragon of such an attempt is something like Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, a work that stands as a denotative record of the social media shift, yet still falls to the same difficulties that characterize other cultural criticism of this type.

— SPIN, SPIN, 8 Feb. 2022

Definition of denotative

Adjective

For Lauper, nothing was off-limits for expressive modification, including her mane of colorful hair and artfully experimental makeup.

— Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026
Hathaway is arch and expressive, doing subtle things with her eyes and voice that no one else can.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of expressive

Adjective

Because of these characteristic trails, apple maggots are also known as railroad worms (the name is more commonly applied to the larvae and wormlike adult females of Phrixothrix beetles).

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
This naturally produces several of the characteristic properties of observed Little Red Dots.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of characteristic

Adjective

Their analyses revealed almost 900 genes that were expressed differently in symptomatic and asymptomatic disease.

— Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Barker described the box office success for Backrooms as symptomatic of a wider shift for the film business.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of symptomatic

Browse Nearby Words

allusions

allusive

alluvion

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“Allusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allusive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of allusive

adjective

Example Sentences

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