Allusive is an adjective that means made by hinting or suggesting.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word ludere (LOO dair ay) which means ‘play.’ When we allude to something, we are being playful or hinting about it. An allusive comment is something usually hinted at instead of being stated directly.

When my co-workers made some allusive joke about how we might need less space in the office, I didn’t understand what they meant. I later learned they were alluding to the rumored upcoming layoffs at the company.