What does allegoric mean?
"Allegoric" is an adjective describing anything that works by allegory — the practice of conveying abstract ideas, moral truths, or hidden meanings through symbolic characters, events, and images instead of direct statement. To call a painting, poem, or novel allegoric is to say that its surface story stands for something deeper: a pilgrim's journey may represent the soul's path to salvation, or a crowned woman holding scales may embody Justice. The word belongs to the vocabulary of literary criticism, art history, and theology, where distinguishing allegoric from merely literal reading matters. It carries a scholarly, somewhat old-fashioned connotation, and in contemporary English the near-identical form "allegorical" is overwhelmingly preferred. Both derive from the Greek "allegoria," literally "speaking otherwise," formed from "allos" (other) and "agoreuein" (to speak in public). Knowing "allegoric" equips a reader to navigate older critical texts where the shorter form appears.
adjectiveRelating to or characteristic of allegory; expressing or describing ideas, morals, or meanings through symbolic figures, actions, or imagery rather than literal statement.
- Of, relating to, or containing allegory — meaning conveyed through symbolic figures and narrative.
- Done or presented by means of allegory; having the character of an allegory.
"The fresco's allegoric figures of Justice and Fortune conveyed the duke's political ambitions without a single written line."
"Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is an allegoric tale in which every character embodies a spiritual state."
"The critic offered an allegoric reading of the poem, treating its shepherd as a figure for the exiled poet himself."
"Allegoric" is the shy twin of "allegorical" — same meaning, same Greek roots, yet so rare that most readers meet it only in older texts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allegoric
"Allegoric" descends from the Greek "allegoria" (ἀλληγορία), meaning "speaking otherwise," a compound of "allos" (other) and "agoreuein" (to address the assembly). The Greek term passed into Latin as "allegoria" and reached English in the sixteenth century alongside the longer form "allegorical." The two adjectives have coexisted since, with "allegorical" becoming dominant while "allegoric" persisted chiefly in British and scholarly contexts.
Related word forms
How allegoric is actually used
This is a formal, literary term used chiefly in criticism, art history, and theology. In modern writing, "allegorical" is strongly preferred; "allegoric" survives mainly in older scholarship and British usage.
Easily confused with allegoric
"Allegorical" is the standard, far more common form of essentially the same adjective, while "allegoric" is a rarer variant that some dictionaries treat as simply another spelling.