allegory
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
allegory
- /ˈælɪɡəɹi/ UK
- /ˈælɪɡɹi/ UK
- /ˈæləˌɡɔɹi/ US
Where it comes from
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 ἀλληγόρος (allēgóros, “allegorical”) (though only attested in Medieval 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; assembly place; market place; speech”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- (“flock, herd; to gather”)) + -εύω (-eúō, suffix forming verbs).
The verb is derived from the noun.
noun 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 allegories · allegorying · 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: parable, apologue, fable, metaphor, analogy, symbolism, representation, illustration, trope, emblem, myth, tale, narrative, personification, exemplum, moralization
Translations
Every language
noun use of symbols which may be interpreted to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences; the interpretation of such symbols
| Español | alegoría |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 알레고리 allegori, 우화 uhwa |
| 日本語 | アレゴリー aregorī, 寓話 gūwa |
| 中文 | 諷喻 /讽喻 fěngyù, 託寓 /托寓, 寓言 yùyán |
| हिन्दी | रूपक कथा rūpak kathā |
| Kiswahili | sitiari |
| Português | alegoria |
| Français | allégorie |
| Deutsch | Allegorie, Sinnbild |
| Italiano | allegoria |
| Ελληνικά | αλληγορία alligoría |
| Română | alegorie |
| Русский | аллего́рия allegórija, иносказа́ние inoskazánije |
| Tiếng Việt | phúng dụ |
| العربية | تَمْثِيل tamṯīl |
| עברית | אָלֵגוֹרְיָה alegoreyá |
noun communication in which one or more characters, events, or places are used to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences
| Español | alegoría |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 諷喻 /讽喻 fěngyù, 寓言 yùyán, 寓意 yùyì |
| Português | parábola |
| Français | allégorie |
| Deutsch | Allegorie, Sinnbild |
| Italiano | allegoria |
| Ελληνικά | αλληγορία alligoría |
| עברית | מָשָׁל mashál |
Talk about this word "allegory." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/allegory. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. allegory. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/allegory "allegory." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/allegory.Cite this
@misc{allegory_2026,
title = {allegory},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/allegory},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
