Definition of: allegory

(al′ə·gôr′ē, -gō′rē) noun plural ·ries
1. The setting forth of a subject or the telling of a story in figurative or symbolic language requiring interpretation; especially, a narrative veiling a moral by symbolic devices, such as personification, metaphor, etc.
2. Any subject or story so presented.
3. Loosely, any symbolic representation in literature or art; an emblem. [<L allegoria <Gk. allēgoria, lit., a speaking otherwise < allos other + agoreuein speak in public assembly < agora forum] Synonyms: fable, fiction, illustration, metaphor, parable, simile, story. The allegory, parable, or fable tells its story as if true, leaving the reader or hearer to discover its fictitious character and learn its lesson. The word fiction is applied almost exclusively to novels, short stories, or romances. An allegory or parable is a moral or religious tale, of which the moral lesson is the substance and all descriptions and incidents but accessories; the parable is generally briefer and less adorned than the allegory. A fable is generally brief, representing animals as the speakers and actors, and conveying some lesson of practical wisdom or shrewdness. Compare SIMILE, STORY. Antonyms: chronicle, fact, history, narrative, record.