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Glite Dictionary
allusiveness

allusiveness

9.1
A quality of suggesting other ideas without saying them directly
  • noun
  • /əˈluːsɪvnəs/
translation icon : alusividad
  • In addition, the poetic allusiveness of the lyrics often allows room for children to be imaginative.

Examples

  • What exactly, then, is Saarikoski implying with this intricate allusion, which nevertheless denies itself in a way, not quite admitting its own allusiveness?

    Academic text (1999)

  • "But they warn that 'fashions' come with allusiveness, and that scholars who follow them run the risk of being embarrassed a dozen years later."

    Academic text (1996)

  • Accepting that titles now are "tags" as well as "descriptions," they allow authors and publishers to use some "allusiveness" in order to make their product "stand out from the mass of printed books."

    Academic text (1996)

  • Since Lyotard, the sublime has also been associated with a notion of nostalgia and allusiveness.

    Academic text (2002)

  • What this reading fails to recognize is that Nesbit's extreme allusiveness itself constitutes an innovative technique, one that her child characters practice constantly and to great effect.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The allusiveness of her poetry invites readers to seek deeper meanings beyond the words themselves.

  • Many great authors are praised for their allusiveness, which challenges readers to engage with the text on a more profound level.

  • His lectures are filled with allusiveness, making it necessary for students to read between the lines to grasp the concepts discussed.

Synonyms

indirection
vsallusiveness
2 8.8

Saying or doing things in a roundabout way instead of being direct

concerns making implied references rather than using evasive methods to avoid directness
indirectness
vsallusiveness
1 6.1

Not saying something clearly to avoid offending someone or to hide the real meaning

emphasizes implied references in language rather than lack of clear course
obliqueness
vsallusiveness
8.9

Not saying things in a direct, clear way

focuses on making implied references in speech or writing rather than general unclear meaning

Antonyms

clarity
152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

How Indirect

allusiveness
9.1
subtlety
54 6.8
directness
6 3.4

Surface Forms

allusiveness singular
allusivenesses plural

Morphology

allusiveness = allusive (transparent) = allude + ive + ness

The noun 'allusiveness' is transparently derived from the adjective 'allusive' by adding the suffix '-ness' to indicate a quality or state.

Etymology

The word allusiveness comes from Latin parts ad- 'to' and ludere 'to play', and is related to allude and allusion, which mean a 'hint' or 'reference'. So think of it as 'playing at' a subject instead of naming it directly, which is why allusiveness means making indirect hints.