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
The story, based on a graphic novel co-written by Harari, might sound like an allegory of trans identity.
—
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 May 2026
Devil 2, in that way, might be viewed as an allegory.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
For Ishiguro, the quest results in a revelation of the darkest possible allegory.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
As Kai Havertz trudged off the pitch in the 34th minute of Arsenal’s win against Newcastle United on Saturday, there may have been some within the Arsenal fanbase who viewed it as an allegory for their team’s title chances disappearing down the tunnel of yet another season.
—Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for allegory
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 May 2026
Devil 2, in that way, might be viewed as an allegory.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
For Ishiguro, the quest results in a revelation of the darkest possible allegory.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
As Kai Havertz trudged off the pitch in the 34th minute of Arsenal’s win against Newcastle United on Saturday, there may have been some within the Arsenal fanbase who viewed it as an allegory for their team’s title chances disappearing down the tunnel of yet another season.
—Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for allegory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allegory
Noun
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Apparently all mothers, even surrogate mothers, were alike, but at least Adele no longer had to fear monitory parables from her real mother.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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On Sundays, O’Neal’s father preached hope from the pulpit, stories of his family intertwined with morals and truths and parables.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Clark Shotwell plays the airplane enthusiast who gets a taste of first class – and chicken cordon bleu – flying with his actress mom to Hollywood in a throwback fable from a kid's perspective.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Wygodny has written original music to subtly accompany Booth’s fable, lending the emotional subtext at points a penumbra of cello.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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There is a little more to it, as the tale of the boy from Yonkers has some of the same up-and-down flair of the Knicks and Mets during his Hall of Fame career.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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And hey, if this movie racks up the views, perhaps the next tale will make it to theaters, with bigger co-stars to boot.—
Mark Meszoros,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Allegory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allegory. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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