alluding
Indirectly mentioning something
Alluding is the present participle of allude, meaning to make an indirect reference to something without naming it explicitly.
When you allude to something, you hint at it or bring it to mind without stating it directly: She kept alluding to some secret she wouldn't reveal.
The word often implies shared knowledge between speaker and listener—the reference only works if both parties recognize what's being suggested.
Suggesting indirectly
- implyingSuggesting without stating directly
- suggestingOffering an idea indirectly
- insinuatingIndirectly suggesting something
- intimatingConveying indirectly
oblique · veiled · subtle · covert · tacit · implicit · circumlocutory · elliptical
Calling into consciousness
- conjuringPerforming magical illusions
- invokingCalling upon formally
- calling to mindTriggering mental association
- reminiscentTending to recall
suggestive · resonant · echoing · recalling · stirring · summoning · atmospheric · redolent
Naming a source
- mentioningReferring to briefly
- referencingMentioning as source
- notingPerceiving and recording
- acknowledgingAccepting as true
invoking · quoting · paraphrasing · interpolating · intertextual · homage · callback · Easter egg
Symbolic rather than literal
- figurativeRepresenting through imagery
- allegoricalExpressing meaning through symbols
- emblematicServing as a symbol
- representativeOne who acts for another
connotative · signifying · encoding · layered · meaningful · pregnant · loaded · freighted
hinting
Suggesting indirectly
- implyingSuggesting without stating directly
- suggestingOffering an idea indirectly
- insinuatingIndirectly suggesting something
intimating · oblique · veiled · subtle · covert · tacit · implicit · circumlocutory · elliptical · roundabout
evoking
Calling into consciousness
- conjuringPerforming magical illusions
- invokingCalling upon formally
- calling to mindTriggering mental association
reminiscent · suggestive · resonant · echoing · recalling · stirring · summoning · atmospheric · redolent · haunting
citing
Naming a source
- mentioningReferring to briefly
- referencingMentioning as source
- notingPerceiving and recording
acknowledging · invoking · quoting · paraphrasing · interpolating · intertextual · homage · callback · Easter egg · name-dropping
metaphorical
Symbolic rather than literal
- figurativeRepresenting through imagery
- allegoricalExpressing meaning through symbols
- emblematicServing as a symbol
representative · connotative · signifying · encoding · layered · meaningful · pregnant · loaded · freighted · subtext
- referringciting, mentioning, indicating, quoting, noting
- literary techniquesforeshadowing, symbolizing, satirizing, parodying, personifying
- highlightingemphasizing, stressing, underscoring, accenting, accentuating
- guidingadvising, directing, guiding, instructing, leading
alludingdeclaring
Formally stating something
announcing · proclaiming · spelling out · asserting · laying out
alludingignoring
Deliberately not noticing
omitting · avoiding · suppressing · overlooking · disregarding
alludingnaming
Assigning a label
specifying · identifying · citing · designating · pinpointing
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