allegory
Syllables: al·le·goryUK/ˈælɪɡəɹi//ˈæləˌɡɔɹi/
allegory noun: the use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message, usually a moral or political one, about real-world issues and occurrences; also, the interpretation of such symbols.
Noun
allegory (countable and uncountable, plural allegories)
- The use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message, usually a moral or political one, about real-world issues and occurrences; also, the interpretation of such symbols.
- In theſe teſtimonies vvhich they alledge of the ſcripture there are certayne, vvhiche are vvell nere of no vvayghte, but there is none of them, but eyther it is darke vvith the myſte of allegorie: or els it dothe receyue dyuerſe and manifolde interpretations.1533, Erasmus of Roterdame, “The Fourth Instruction”, in William Marshall, transl., A Playne and Godly Exposytion or Declaration of the Commune Crede (which in the Latin Tonge is Called Symbolum...
- As some of the finest compositions among the ancients are in allegory, I have endeavoured, in several of my papers, to revive that way of writing, and hope I have not been altogether unsuccessful in it; […]1712 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), [Thomas Parnell], “FRIDAY, October 4, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 501; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume...
- A picture, story, or other form of communication in which one or more characters, events, or places are used to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences.
- [T]houghe ſome woordes ſpoken by the mouthe of Chriſt written in ſcripture, be to be vnderſtanden only by way of a ſimilitude or an allegory: it foloweth not therupõ [thereupon] that of neceſſitye euerye like woorde of Chriſt in other places was none other but an allegory.1533 (date written), Thomas More, “A Letter of Sir Thomas More Knight Impugning the Erroniouse Wryting of John Frith agaynst the Blessed Sacrament of the Aulter”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William...
- […] Abraham had two ſonnes, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman, was borne after the fleſh: but hee of the freewoman, was by promiſe. Which things are an Allegorie; for theſe are the two Couenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to...1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Galatians 4:22–24 and 26, signature [S4], verso, column 2
- A character or thing which symbolically represents someone or something else; an emblem, a symbol.
- [T]he Harp of Ireland, puts me in mind, of that Glorious Embleme, or Allegory, vvherein the vviſdome of Antiquity, did figure, and ſhadovv out, vvorks of this Nature.1606 (date written), Francis Bacon, “[Severall Discourses, Written, in the Dayes of King James, […].] Certain Considerations, Touching the Plantation in Ireland. Presented to His Maiesty, 1606.”, in...
- Among all the great men of antiquity, Procruſtes ſhall never be my hero of legiſlation; vvith his iron bed, the allegory of his government, and the type of ſome modern policy, by vvhich the long limb vvas to be cut ſhort, and the ſhort tortured into length. Such vvas this ſtate bed of uniformity!1769, [Edmund Burke], Observations on a Late State of the Nation, London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 61
- A category that retains some of the structure of the category of binary relations between sets, representing a high-level generalization of that category.
Verb
allegory (third-person singular simple present allegories, present participle allegorying, simple past and past participle allegoried)
- To interpret (a picture, story, or other form of communication) to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences.
- To create an allegory (noun sense 2.1) from (a character, an event or situation, etc.); also, to use one or more symbols to depict (a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences).
- Followed by away: to treat (something) as allegorical or symbolic rather than as truth.
- To interpret an allegory.
- To create or use allegory.
allegory meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
allegory in Hindi
- use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences; the interpretation of such symbols
- रूपक कथा rūpak kathā
allegory in Tamil
- use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences; the interpretation of such symbols
- ஒப்பனை oppaṉai
allegory in Urdu
- use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences; the interpretation of such symbols
- تمثیل tamsīl
allegory in Bengali
- use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences; the interpretation of such symbols
- রূপক rupok
More languagesFewer languages
- allegory in Telugu
- రూపకము rūpakamu
- allegory in Malayalam
- അന്യാപദേശകഥ, രൂപകാലങ്കാരം, അന്തരാർത്ഥകഥ, ദൃഷ്ടാന്തം
- allegory in Kannada
- ಅನ್ಯೋಕ್ತಿ anyōkti, ಸಣ್ಣರಗತೆ saṇṇaragate
- allegory in Tagalog
- talinhaga, alegorya
- allegory in Arabic
- تَمْثِيل tamṯīl
- allegory in Malay
- alegori
- allegory in Indonesian
- alegori
- allegory in Persian
- تمثیل tamsil
- allegory in Thai
- อุปมานิทัศน์ ùp-bpà-maa-ní-tát
- allegory in Vietnamese
- phúng dụ
Examples of allegory in a sentence
- Allegory Metaphors continues still, / Which with new graces every sentence fill.1835, L[arret] Langley, “[The Seven Tropes.] Allegory.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C....
- Allegory and Poetic Delineation, as I said above, cannot be religious Faith: the Faith itself must first be there, then Allegory enough will gather round it, as the fit body round its soul.1840 May 5, Thomas Carlyle, “Lecture I. The Hero as Divinity. Odin. Paganism: Scandinavian Mythology.”, in On Heroes, Hero-Worship and The...
- They diſcover in every paſſage ſome ſecret meaning, ſome remote alluſion, ſome artful allegory, or ſome occult imitation, vvhich no other reader every ſuspected; […]1751 December 3 (Gregorian calendar), Samuel Johnson, “No. 176. Friday, November 23. 1751.”, in The Rambler, volume VII, Edinburgh: […]...
- I have always considered it an allegory, showing the necessity of marrying for money.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter III, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry...
Forms of allegory
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | allegories |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | allegories |
| present participle | allegorying |
| past participle | allegoried |
| past | allegoried |
Origin of allegory
The noun is derived from Late Middle English allegorie (“symbolic interpretation; symbolism; (Christianity) one of the four methods of interpreting the Bible”) + English -y (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state). Allegorie is borrowed from Anglo-Norman allegorie and Middle French allegorie (“narrative with a hidden meaning; such a meaning or its interpretation”) (modern French allégorie), and directly from their etymon Latin allēgoria (“figurative or metaphorical language, allegory; parable”) (whence Late Latin allēgoria (“allegorical interpretation of the Bible”)), from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓λληγορῐ́ᾱ (ăllēgorĭ́ā, “figurative or metaphorical language”), probably from ἀλληγορος (allēgoros, “allegorical”) (though only attested in Byzantine Greek) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Ἀλληγορος (Allēgoros) is derived from ᾰ̓́λλος (ắllos, “another; different”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“beyond; other”)) + ἠγόρ- (ēgór-, the imperfect stem of ἀγορεύω (agoreúō, “to speak in the assembly; to say, speak”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming certain inflections of adjectives); and ἀγορεύω (agoreúō) from ᾰ̓γορᾱ́ (ăgorā́, “assembly...
Words formed from allegory
Questions about allegory
- What does allegory mean?
- Allegory means the use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message, usually a moral or political one, about real-world issues and occurrences; also, the interpretation of such symbols.
- What is allegory in Hindi?
- Allegory in Hindi is रूपक कथा (rūpak kathā). See Allegory meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use allegory in a sentence?
- Allegory Metaphors continues still, / Which with new graces every sentence fill.
- What part of speech is allegory?
- Allegory can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce allegory?
- Allegory is pronounced /ˈælɪɡəɹi/ (UK).
- What is the plural of allegory?
- The plural of allegory is allegories.
Words near allegory in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: allegory (page history and authors); allegory (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-allegory.ogg.
Cite this entry: “allegory.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/allegory. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.