ALLEGORY Definition & Meaning

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allegory

[al-uh-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural

allegories

a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.
a symbolical narrative.
the allegory of Piers Plowman.
Synonyms: ,
emblem.

allegory

/ ˈæ��ɪɡə��ɪ /

noun

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
the technique or genre that this represents
use of such symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral
anything used as a symbol or emblem

allegory

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 51�Թ� Forms

ˈ��𲵴ǰ�� noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of allegory¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English allegorie, from Latin ��ŧ��ǰ��, from Greek ��ŧ��ǰ�í��, derivative of ��ŧ��ǰ��î�� “to speak so as to imply something else; speak allegorically,” equivalent to á��ǲ� “other, another” + ��ǰ��ú�𾱲� “to speak (in an assembly), address, harangue,” a derivative of ��ǰ�á; allo-, agora ¹

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of allegory¹

C14: from Old French allegorie, from Latin ��ŧ��ǰ��, from Greek, from ��ŧ��ǰ��𾱲� to speak figuratively, from allos other + agoreuein to make a speech in public, from agora a public gathering

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Example Sentences

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Episodes from the first half of the 1960s, which often featured a young Burt Reynolds as a half-Comanche blacksmith in Dodge City, play like allegories about racism as the civil rights movement was simmering.

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We’re clearly in allegory territory here, so the silliness isn’t without substance.

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Reading "Sinners" as an allegory of cultural assimilation and appropriation is obvious, and it's also simple enough to get a variety of folks to walk through the door.

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At the whims of his grief, Cronenberg succumbs to feeling, resisting the popular urge to mold grief into an allegory for horror.

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The song also reads like an allegory for a young Mexican American woman who is caught between two cultures, struggling with the confining nature of being enough for both sides of her identity.

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allegorize Allegra

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