allegory

American  

[al-uh-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee] / ˈæl əˌgɔr i, -ˌgoʊr i /

noun

allegories plural

1. a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.

2. a symbolical narrative.

   the allegory of Piers Plowman.

   Synonyms:

   parable, fable

3. emblem.

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allegory British  

/ ˈælɪɡərɪ /

noun

1. a poem, play, picture, etc, in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning

2. the technique or genre that this represents

3. use of such symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral

4. anything used as a symbol or emblem

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allegory Cultural  

1. A story that has a deeper or more general meaning in addition to its surface meaning. Allegories are composed of several symbols (see also symbol) or metaphors. For example, in The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, the character named Christian struggles to escape from a bog or swamp. The story of his difficulty is a symbol of the difficulty of leading a good life in the “bog” of this world. The “bog” is a metaphor or symbol of life's hardships and distractions. Similarly, when Christian loses a heavy pack that he has been carrying on his back, this symbolizes his freedom from the weight of sin that he has been carrying.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• allegorist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• allegories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of allegory

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English allegorie, from Latin allēgoria, from Greek allēgoría, derivative of allēgoreîn “to speak so as to imply something else; speak allegorically,” equivalent to állos “other, another” + agoreúein “to speak (in an assembly), address, harangue,” a derivative of agorá; see origin at allo-, agora ¹

Compare meaning

How does allegory compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• allegory vs. metaphor
• allegory vs. parable

Explanation

The figurative style known as allegory has nothing to do with alligators — unless you're telling a story where alligators represent evil forces snapping at humanity. An allegory is like a metaphor on steroids: a writer tells a fictional story where everything and everyone in it is supposed to represent a deeper meaning. Using a plain old metaphor, you might call death "the grim reaper," but an allegory might build a whole tale of how the grim reaper goes around in a black cloak and informs people of their impending doom. Aesop's Fables are allegories, with animals taking the place of different human character types — though Aesop never wrote an allegory about an alligator.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allegory allegories

The film "mucks up Orwell", according to the Wall Street Journal,, external who surmised: "As comedy, the movie is feeble, and as allegory for the socioeconomically literate it is heavy-handed."

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

It is useful, then, that his aesthetic signature is an ancient, enduring allegory for a life poorly lived.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Viewed this way, as Yair Mintzker writes in “I, Wandering Jew: A Five-Century History of Our Modern Condition,” the myth becomes “an allegory of the history of the Jewish people.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

One could read the entire scripture — both the Old and New Testaments — as an allegory for humanity’s penchant for payback, and God’s many warnings against it.

From Salon ● May 19, 2026

From what I know of Samuel, he will be a big flop as a ranger, but the allegory, I know, will be challenging and controversial, full of unpleasant truths.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Like Kafka, Schulz sublimated the horrors that surrounded him into vivid allegories of the fantastic and the extraordinary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Its roots lie in the medieval stonemasons' guilds, and members still meet in "lodges" to carry out secretive initiation rituals and ceremonies based on allegories such as the building of King Solomon's Temple.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025

The LP synthesized decades of popular music — soul, jazz, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll — to create a new musical language, while its depth-filled lyrics are a rich text full of allegories and religious imagery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2025

The picture is part of Roberts’ effort to claim the stories of heroic judges who battled Jim Crow in the civil rights era as allegories for judges facing legitimate critiques today.

From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2025

But Diderot’s peculiar chapter also serves as a warning: with its dream framing, its monsters and its allegories, its linguistic slipperiness, it conveys a sense of difficulty.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton