Allegory
noun /ˈæləɡəri/ — A story that is secretly about something else entirely.
Definition
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one; using characters and events to represent abstract ideas.
Beyond the definition
Allegory allows writers to say things that can't be said directly. Orwell's Animal Farm is about pigs — and it's about Soviet totalitarianism. Plato's cave is about shadows on a wall — and it's about the nature of human knowledge. Great allegories work on both levels simultaneously.
Origin & history
From Greek allegoria — description of one thing under the image of another (allos 'other' + agoreuein 'to speak in the assembly').
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The novel worked as both a gripping narrative and a sustained allegory about grief.
All fairy tales are allegories — the forest is never just a forest.
He was too literal-minded for allegory; he insisted on taking everything at face value.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Allegory” when the meaning fits your context: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one; using characters and events to represent abstract ideas.
Synonyms
parable, fable, metaphor, symbolism, extended metaphor
Antonyms
literal, direct, factual
Related words
Allegory vs metaphor
An allegory is an extended narrative where characters and events symbolize a hidden meaning. A metaphor is a concise figure of speech that equates two unrelated things to highlight a single shared trait.
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
When Animal Farm was published, the Soviet censors didn't stop it — they'd missed the point. The animals were just animals on a farm.
Every reader who wasn't a Soviet censor understood immediately: the farm was Russia, the pigs were the Party, the revolution eating its own was the thing they were living through.
The peasants found it clarifying. The censors found it harmless. The same text. Entirely different books, depending on who held it.
Questions about this word
What does "Allegory" mean?
Allegory is noun meaning: A story that is secretly about something else entirely.. A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one; using characters and events to represent abstract ideas.
Which words express “story with a deeper meaning”?
Allegory — A story that is secretly about something else entirely.
Where does the word "Allegory" come from?
From Greek allegoria — description of one thing under the image of another (allos 'other' + agoreuein 'to speak in the assembly').