Noun: allegory 'a-lu,gor-ee [N. Amer], a-lu-gu-ree [Brit]
- An expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor
"Animal Farm by George Orwell is a famous political allegory"
- A short moral story (often with animal characters)
"Aesop's fables are classic examples of allegory";
- fable, parable, apologue, exemplum
- A visible symbol representing an abstract idea
"The author's story was an allegory for the political situation";
- emblem
Derived forms: allegories
Type of: expressive style, story, style, symbol, symbolic representation, symbolisation [Brit], symbolization
Encyclopedia: Allegory