as in parables
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 allegories
The Terror from Beyond Space served up slimy green men and Red Scare allegories, the period covered by Baron abounds with optimism and wonder.
—
David Kamp, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
Trans allegories abound in horror fiction, but vampires just might be the hottest one of all.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
David Kamp, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
Trans allegories abound in horror fiction, but vampires just might be the hottest one of all.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allegories
Noun
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Modern horror is at the forefront of political movements and are the fables of our time.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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Allusions to myths, fables, and riffs on common idioms abound, many of them evocative and quite funny.—
Lora Kelley,
New Yorker,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.—
John Hope Bryant,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
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The mysterious spirit animal messengers that Ji-noo sends, a tiger and a magpie who represent the nobles and commoners of many Korean folk tales, needed to be otherworldly without being fully demonic.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Allegories.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allegories. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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