allegorical

adjective

Definition of allegoricalnext
1
as in symbolic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in mythological

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of allegorical Cornices, marble, allegorical touches, and the building’s old grandeur all help create a dramatic atmosphere. — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 By now, the story of the ‘Nova Knicks is almost allegorical. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 10 June 2026 Cardinale was particularly fond of the shape, which the brand used as an allegorical representation of its birth city’s many cupolas. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 22 May 2026 Naturalists and later scientists also protested such allegorical uses of primates. — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for allegorical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allegorical
  1. symbolic
  2. mythological
  3. figurative
  4. imaginary
  5. emblematic
  6. fanciful
  7. metaphoric
  8. figural
Adjective
  • Nominal damages are a small symbolic sum of money awarded when a legal right is violated.
    — Jack Harvel August 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Cadet will work with architect Rodney Leon, who is also of Haitian descent, and who will advise on the interpretive writing and symbolic elements of the statue and its lighting and siting.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of symbolic
Adjective
  • The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The International Astronomical Union named the moon Dactyl after a group of mythological beings who lived on a sacred mountain called Mount Ida.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of mythological
Adjective
  • Avery proved that figurative artists, in trying to represent the observable world, can be as free in their choices as any abstract painter.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Susi Singer’s figurative candlestick has style and sass that owes at least partly to its earthenware origins, favored at the Werkstätte for its affordability over porcelain, but much less capable of refined shapes.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of figurative
Adjective
  • Where travel still leaves room for people The goal isn't to return to some imaginary golden age of travel.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There isn’t even a drastic generational shift between that imaginary cast and this film’s actual one.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • Collin tries to turn him into an emblematic twentieth-century figure, an absurd hero out of, say, Camus, who can find himself (and also lose himself) only through selfless service.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Marshall’s detractors say the Florida property is emblematic of a lawmaker who is out of touch with his constituents.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of emblematic
Adjective
  • To fill that nostalgic envelope, the Beckers called on designer Kelsey Sundberg, who conceived a fanciful storyline for the interiors.
    — Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026
  • That’s especially the case when the puppets belong to String & Shadow Puppet Theater, an Olympia, Washington,-based troupe known for its fanciful and lighthearted productions, presented each summer in a traveling tour.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of fanciful
Adjective
  • Lush layers of melody and instrumentation submerges the listener in both metaphoric thought and shifting moods.
    — Lina Lecaro, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2026
  • These forces could be imagined as two beings and, by metaphoric extension, as male and female.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of metaphoric
Adjective
  • From figural bakers to upgraded pans, the new collection takes fall baking to a whole other level.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Display of a walking staff with a figural head and wooden ladles reveal a history of carving among the cultures Lewis was raised in.
    — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of figural

Browse Nearby Words

alleging
allegorical
allegories
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Allegorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allegorical. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All