allegory
noun
al·le·go·ry ˈa-lə-ˌgȯr-ē 
plural allegories
1
: the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence
a writer known for his use of allegory
also : an instance (as in a story or painting) of such expression
The poem is an allegory of love and jealousy.
2
: a symbolic representation : emblem sense 2
Synonyms
- apologue
- fable
- parable
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Luther dismissed this mystical reading of the creative act as mere "allegory." But for Augustine the six days are not just a rhetorical trope. They are unlike the figurative language of the curse on the snake. To say that Christ is a shepherd is a metaphor; but to say that he is light is literal, since physical light is a "shadow" of the real light spoken of in Genesis. 
Garry Wills, Under God, 1990 The Scarlet Letter is his masterpiece, because of the simplicity of its allegory and the grandeur of its colonial, Jacobean setting—and because of its shocking subject so nervously handled. Hester and Dimmesdale are sacred and profane love, subjects for Titian, yet conventionally clothed. Robert Lowell, Collected Prose, 1987 He saw thousands of Buddhas lined up in trays in the tourist shops … some in lead, some in wood, some carved in stone and dressed in a little knitted caps and capes. He came to see in this ubiquitous phenomenon the Buddha's godlike propensity for self-division, the endless fractioning of himself into every perceivable aspect, an allegory made by the people of Japan from the cellular process of life. E. L. Doctorow, Loon Lake, 1979
Garry Wills, Under God, 1990 The Scarlet Letter is his masterpiece, because of the simplicity of its allegory and the grandeur of its colonial, Jacobean setting—and because of its shocking subject so nervously handled. Hester and Dimmesdale are sacred and profane love, subjects for Titian, yet conventionally clothed. Robert Lowell, Collected Prose, 1987 He saw thousands of Buddhas lined up in trays in the tourist shops … some in lead, some in wood, some carved in stone and dressed in a little knitted caps and capes. He came to see in this ubiquitous phenomenon the Buddha's godlike propensity for self-division, the endless fractioning of himself into every perceivable aspect, an allegory made by the people of Japan from the cellular process of life. E. L. Doctorow, Loon Lake, 1979 Recent Examples on the Web Jordan Peele's third film Nope has finally released in theaters, with the Oscar winner trading hypnotic tea cups and murderous doppelgängers for a thought-provoking allegory on spectacle culture in Hollywood. Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 July 2022 At once matter-of-fact and ominous—and soon followed by an act of ghastly violence—the tableau serves as an overture for the coming allegory of biological paradigm shift. Adam Nayman, The New Yorker, 3 June 2022 The story becomes a sharp allegory of the treatment of women. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2022 Their house’s architecture is an allegory for their social relations; its different floors either welcome or are out of bounds for some members of the family (especially the women). Farah Abdessamad, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2022 The ur-text of every trip is the search for love, for which traveling itself is only an allegory. Adam Gopnik, Town & Country, 17 June 2022 The novel was Camus’s allegory for the resistance to fascism. New York Times, 29 June 2022 And there are actual jokes about grooming, which sound a bit defensive and successfully make the grooming allegory more explicit. Darren Franich, EW.com, 11 May 2022 The engrossing allegory delivers a powerful emotional punch, along with keen political and social commentary. Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Mar. 2022 See More
Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 July 2022 At once matter-of-fact and ominous—and soon followed by an act of ghastly violence—the tableau serves as an overture for the coming allegory of biological paradigm shift. Adam Nayman, The New Yorker, 3 June 2022 The story becomes a sharp allegory of the treatment of women. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2022 Their house’s architecture is an allegory for their social relations; its different floors either welcome or are out of bounds for some members of the family (especially the women). Farah Abdessamad, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2022 The ur-text of every trip is the search for love, for which traveling itself is only an allegory. Adam Gopnik, Town & Country, 17 June 2022 The novel was Camus’s allegory for the resistance to fascism. New York Times, 29 June 2022 And there are actual jokes about grooming, which sound a bit defensive and successfully make the grooming allegory more explicit. Darren Franich, EW.com, 11 May 2022 The engrossing allegory delivers a powerful emotional punch, along with keen political and social commentary. Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English allegorie, from Latin allegoria, from Greek allēgoria, from allēgorein to speak figuratively, from allos other + -ēgorein to speak publicly, from agora assembly — more at else, agora
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
allegory
noun
as in parable
a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life Dr. Seuss's story "The Sneetches" is a telling allegory about tolerance for people's differences Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- parable
- fable
- apologue
- tale
- narrative
- mythology
- myth
- beast fable
- bestiary
- legend
- morality play