as in parable
a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life
Dr. Seuss's story "The Sneetches" is a telling allegory about tolerance for people's differences
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Recent Examples of allegory
Perhaps that’s an allegory itself?
—
Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025
Part of a long tradition of both David and Goliath adaptations and illustrated renditions of Judeo-Christian allegories, the new musical drama is Angel Studio’s latest take on the iconic underdog story and a wholesome way to spend your afternoon.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2025
The fantastical park resembles a theatre set, rife with spiritual allegory and modeled on an ascetic’s dream of utopia.
—Laura May Todd, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
The exhilarating new angles on zombie-horror tropes that should be dead and buried by now—the societal allegory, the design of the undead themselves—are impressive.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allegory
Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025
Part of a long tradition of both David and Goliath adaptations and illustrated renditions of Judeo-Christian allegories, the new musical drama is Angel Studio’s latest take on the iconic underdog story and a wholesome way to spend your afternoon.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2025
The fantastical park resembles a theatre set, rife with spiritual allegory and modeled on an ascetic’s dream of utopia.
—Laura May Todd, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
The exhilarating new angles on zombie-horror tropes that should be dead and buried by now—the societal allegory, the design of the undead themselves—are impressive.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for allegory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allegory
Noun
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What kind of message would prime Jeezy have presented without the pyrex parables in tow?—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
18 Dec. 2025
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The wordplay is as colorful as the sonics are sedate, tag-team player parables sailing over production seeking a slippery middle ground between East and West Coast throwback jams.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
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One of the toasts of Sundance, Cherien Dabis’s look at the life of a Palestinian family through the decades is a moral fable in the guise of an epic drama.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Jan. 2026
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The film is a fable with a modern twist.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some readers might expect an indictment of fan fiction and celebrity culture; Yi swerves, though, and creates a more searching and subversive tale of love, connection, and art.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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In pitting his offspring against each other in a battle for the family empire Rupert Murdoch became part of a tale as old as time… A tale well told in Gabe Sherman’s Bonfire of the Murdochs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Allegory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allegory. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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