What is an allusion, and why do writers use it? An allusion is a literary device used to refer to something well-known, like a famous person, story, place, or event, without saying it explicitly, allowing the audience to glean the meaning and recognize the reference themselves. An allusion is a figure of speech that refers to a well‑known person, place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art.

Understanding the Context

It’s used to evoke associated meanings and enrich the text. 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.” Allusion is an economical device, a figure of speech that uses a relatively short space to draw upon the ready stock of ideas, cultural memes or emotion already associated with a topic. ALLUSION definition: 1.

Key Insights

something that is said or written that is intended to make you think of a particular thing or…. Learn more. ALLUSION definition: a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication. See examples of allusion used in a sentence. Allusion, in literature, is an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text.

Final Thoughts

An allusion is an indirect reference to, including but not limited to, an idea, event, or person. It is used within both prose and verse writing. allusion (to somebody/something) something that is said or written that refers to or mentions another person or subject in an indirect way (= alludes to it) His statement was seen as an allusion to the latest political scandal.