allegory
noun
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between anallegory and ametaphor?
Allegory is the expression of truths or generalizations about human existence by means of symbolic fictional figures and their actions. It encompasses such forms asfable andparable. Ametaphor, broadly, is figurative language; specifically, it is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.Aesop’s Fables are an example ofallegory; "the ship plows the seas" is an example ofmetaphor.
What are different types ofallegory?
Personification allegory is a type of allegory in which a fictional character represents a concept or a type. The character Everyman in the medieval play of that name and the Lover in The Romance of the Rose are figures of personification allegory. Symbolic allegory is one in which a character or material thing is not merely a transparent vehicle for an idea, but also has a recognizable identity or a narrative autonomy apart from the message it conveys. The poet Virgil in Dante's Inferno, a historical figure representing human reason within the poem, is an example of a symbolic allegorical figure.
What is the difference betweenallegory andsimile?
Asimile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared, often introduced bylike oras ("he had eyes like agates").Allegory is a more or less symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a secondary meaning (or meanings) not explicitly set forth in the literal narrative. Parables, myths, and fables are all considered types of allegories.
Examples ofallegory in a Sentence
Garry Wills,Under God,1990The Scarlet Letter is his masterpiece, because of the simplicity of itsallegory 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,1987He 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, anallegory made by the people of Japan from the cellular process of life.—E. L. Doctorow,Loon Lake,1979Jeremy Lybarger,ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025Ant biology and behavior have long inspired science projects andallegories.—Barbara Robertson,The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2025Passengers huddle to hear the fabled tale of a sailor who fell in love with the ocean, anallegoryabout bravery, exploration and transformation.—Josh Rivera,USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025The game becomes anallegoryfor the novel’s larger story, which explores Róisín’s and Máire’s fates through the lives of Máire’s daughter, Cora, and Cora’s daughter, Lyca.—Mark Athitakis,The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2025See All Example Sentences forallegoryWord History
Middle Englishallegorie, from Latinallegoria, from Greekallēgoria, fromallēgorein to speak figuratively, fromallos other +-ēgorein to speak publicly, fromagora assembly — more atelse,agora
14th century, in the meaning defined atsense 1
Rhymes forallegory
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Cite this Entry
“Allegory.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allegory. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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