noun
allegory
AL-uh-gor-ee/ˈæləɡɔːri/
A story or image that uses symbols to convey a deeper meaning.
The tortoise-and-hare allegory presents steady effort overcoming careless confidence.
Etymology
The pieces suggest “speaking about something else”: one thing is described through the image of another. In a story, the characters and events carry that second layer of meaning.
In context
films using symbolism or allegory to comment on broader cultural or historical themes
More examples
- Each animal in the allegory represented a human vice.
- The painting used allegory to portray justice overcoming greed.
- Readers disagreed about the meaning of the allegory.
Forms
allegory · allegories
allegorical adjective — conveying meaning through an allegory