allegorical

adjective

al·​le·​gor·​i·​cal ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl How to pronounce allegorical (audio)
-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 adverb
allegoricalness noun

Examples of allegorical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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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 Coogler presents a provocatively Africanist view of Black American experience, and does so with exuberant inventiveness; the uncompromising political essence of his allegorical vision is expressed with aesthetic delight. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2025 Margaret Atwood’s dystopian allegorical novel didn’t over-explain the U.S.’ descent into fascist theocracy and thus left itself open to interpretation — so open that even American conservatives were able to claim it as a warning about Muslim fundamentalism. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for allegorical

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of allegorical was in 1528

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Cite this Entry

“Allegorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allegorical. Accessed 16 May. 2025.

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