allegorical

adjective

al·​le·​gor·​i·​cal ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl 

-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

ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈgär-

adverb

allegoricalness

ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl-nəs 

-ˈgär-

noun

Examples of allegorical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The industrial workspace in the film functions as a compelling allegorical backdrop for broader societal issues. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2025

In the old allegorical star atlases, Virgo is holding a spike of wheat where Spica glows, evidently representing the harvest time which occurs in mid-October when the sun is passing that bright star. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 May 2025

The Boucher Room By contrast, the Boucher Room, named for the set of allegorical paintings by the 18th-century French court painter François Boucher (1703-1770) that cover its walls, is exactly as Helen’s mother, Adelaide, knew it. —Holland Cotter, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025

Maybe that’s more blessing than curse in our age of baldly allegorical horror movies. —A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

allegoric "allegorical" (borrowed from Late Latin allēgoricus, borrowed from Greek allēgorikós, from allēgoría allegory + -ikos -ic entry 1) + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for allegorical

• ahistorical
• metaphorical
• oratorical
• unhistorical
• historical
• rhetorical
• sociohistorical