allude
Mention without naming
To allude to something is to mention it indirectly or in passing, without naming it explicitly: She alluded to problems at home but didn't elaborate.
The word implies a reference that requires the listener to fill in the gaps.
Don't confuse allude with elude, which means to escape or evade.
Angled, not straightforward
- veiledConcealed or obscured
- circuitousIndirect, winding path
- roundaboutCircular junction for traffic
- tangentialBarely connected to main point
evasive · circumlocution · equivocation · ambiguity · elliptical · sideways · understated · coy
Offer an idea indirectly
- intimateClosely personal or private
- insinuateSuggest without directly stating
- connoteSuggest beyond literal meaning
- indicateSignal or point to
convey · signify · evoke · invoke · adumbrate · foreshadow · prefigure · presuppose
Brief verbal acknowledgment
- referenceDirecting attention elsewhere
- citeMention as authority
- invokeCall upon formally
- acknowledgeConfirm receipt or truth
note · indicate · name-drop · recall · summon · conjure · evoke · harken
Idea proposed for consideration
- intimationIndirect indication of something
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
- clueSolving aid
- inklingSlight, uncertain awareness
whisper · nudge · cue · indication · pointer · sign · signal · gesture
oblique
Angled, not straightforward
- veiledConcealed or obscured
- circuitousIndirect, winding path
- roundaboutCircular junction for traffic
tangential · evasive · circumlocution · equivocation · ambiguity · elliptical · sideways · understated · coy · guarded
suggest
Offer an idea indirectly
- intimateClosely personal or private
- insinuateSuggest without directly stating
- connoteSuggest beyond literal meaning
indicate · convey · signify · evoke · invoke · adumbrate · foreshadow · prefigure · presuppose · tacit
mention
Brief verbal acknowledgment
acknowledge · note · indicate · name-drop · recall · summon · conjure · evoke · harken
suggestion
Idea proposed for consideration
- intimationIndirect indication of something
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
- clueSolving aid
inkling · whisper · nudge · cue · indication · pointer · sign · signal · gesture · nod
reference
Directing attention elsewhere
nod · homage · intertext · callback · motif · symbol · metaphor · allegory · parallel · analogue
- allude toReference indirectly
- biblical allusionReference to sacred texts
- literary allusion
allusion, allusive, alluding, alluded, alludes, allusions, allusively, allusiveness