allegorical

adjective

al·​le·​gor·​i·​cal ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl 

-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

ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈgär-

adverb

allegoricalness

ˌa-lə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl-nəs 

-ˈgär-

noun

Examples of allegorical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

McCrae, too, approaches Dante’s allegorical vision with an urgency derived from a struggle that collapses the personal and the social, until the metaphysical realm seems the only possible stage. —Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025

The allegorical imagery partly found its allure from costume designer Lisy Christl. —Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2025

The music video is a visual interpretation of lyrics that seemingly have Abel addressing a child, from the perspective of a parent, with an allegorical title referencing the Ethiopian Red Terror, a period of violet political repression that resulted in the deaths of thousands in the late ’70s. —Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2025

Today, its walls and pillars sit in the Louvre Abu Dhabi, along with a 17th-century ceiling, from the Louis XIV era, adorned with an allegorical painting. —Sofia Celeste, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025

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