allegory

UK: /ˈælɪgəri/ US: /ˈæləˌgɔri/ ,(al′ə gôr′ē, -gōr′ē)

Inflections of 'allegory' (n): npl: allegories

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

al•le•go•ry /ˈæləˌgɔri/   n., pl. -ries. 

1. a story or poem in which moral lessons are conveyed through the actions of fictional characters that serve as symbols:
   [countable] the allegory of the Pied Piper.
2. [uncountable] the use of allegory in literature.

al•le•gor•i•cal /ˌæləˈgɔrɪkəl, -ˈgɑr-/  al•le•gor•ic, adj. 
al•le•gor•i•cal•ly, adv. 
al•le•gor•ist, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

al•le•go•ry  (al′ə gôr′ē, -gōr′ē), n., pl. -ries. 

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.
3. emblem (def. 3).

• Greek allēgoría, derivative of allēgoreîn to speak so as to imply something other. See allo-, agora; Greek agoreúein to speak, proclaim, origin, originally meant to act (e.g., speak) in the assembly
• Latin allēgoria
• Middle English allegorie 1350–1400

Synonyms

• 2. fable, parable.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

allegory / ˈælɪɡərɪ/ noun ( -ries)

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. use of such symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral
3. anything used as a symbol or emblem

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French allegorie, from Latin allēgoria, from Greek, from allēgorein to speak figuratively, from allos other + agoreuein to make a speech in public, from agora a public gathering

ˈallegorist noun