noun
allegory
A-lih-guh-ree
noun
1
A story, picture, or other work whose characters and events stand for a deeper, often moral or political, meaning.
"Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution."
"The painting can be read as an allegory of good triumphing over evil."
How to Use Allegory
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA story that works on two levels — the surface plot, and a hidden deeper meaning it represents.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a political allegory
read as an allegory
allegory for
Word Forms
allegoried past tense, allegories plural, allegories singular
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Animal Farm is an _____ for the Russian Revolution.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek allegoria, "speaking in a different way" — combining allos ("other") with a verb meaning "to speak publicly," so literally "saying one thing while meaning another."