allegorical

adjective

al·​le·​gor·​i·​cal ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl How to pronounce allegorical (audio)
-ˈgär-
1
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of allegory
allegorical paintings
allegorical meanings of images
allegorical symbols of our culture
2
: having hidden spiritual meaning that transcends the literal sense of a sacred text
allegorically adverb
allegoricalness noun

Examples of allegorical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With Monkey Man, Patel offers an allegorical story that combines the technical and heroic sensibilities of his favorite action figures (Bruce Lee, John Wick) with the mythologies rooted in his ethnic identity. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Bale, speaking in a bland, hollow voice that has the slightest hint of frat-boy joshing, delivers a piece of polished, satiric archness that goes well beyond the obvious allegorical gag (capitalism = murder) into ... what, exactly? Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 For Maimonides, however, language like these passages in Genesis was allegorical. Randy L. Friedman, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024 Waldman’s Town Square seems almost too obviously allegorical. Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024 Inside, guests are transported back to the age of Bernhardt and Cézanne with red velvet banquettes, stained glass, frescoes, and bronze and copper ornaments in allegorical floral and feminine motifs. Vivian Song, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2024 Reinstall them in spacious state rooms, and the allegorical intentions about which the curators’ captions inform me—how, for instance, a putto unbuckling Mars’s armor in the Dulwich painting slyly chides the hawks who were driving forward the Thirty Years’ War—might just fall into place. Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 26 Dec. 2023 Her art is often described as allegorical, though in most of these images the meanings and symbols get tied up in knots. The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2023 Unabashedly violent and plainly allegorical, the novel assembles an intriguing array of monsters, real and psychological, to provide a fresh take on familiar American mythologies. Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allegorical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see allegory

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of allegorical was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near allegorical

Cite this Entry

“Allegorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allegorical. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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