SAT vocabulary: allegory

What does allegory mean? Read below for the definition.

Quick vocab quiz for the word allegory

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Now let’s learn about the word allegory.

Part of Speech of allegory

allegory is a NOUN.

Pronunciation of allegory

Here’s how to pronounce allegory:

IPA: /ˈæ.lə.gɔ.ri/

Glossary-style: [AH-luh-goh-ree]

Definition of allegory

allegory means: a story that uses characters and events to represent important ideas about life, morals, and the like. an extended metaphor. a symbol that represents something.

Explain more about allegory, please

An allegory is a story that represents something different from what the story actually tells. For example, you may have read many fables that have animals as characters. In a well-known fable, a girl is walking to the market to sell her eggs. On the way there, she starts thinking about all the things she can do with the money she thinks that she will earn. Unfortunately, the eggs break, and she cannot earn any money from selling them. The moral of this story–don’t count your eggs before they hatch–means that we should not count on good things to happen if we’re not sure that they will happen. In this case, the girl represents all of us, and her dreams of earning money represents our hopes. This story, as well as many others like this, can be considered allegories.

Example of allegory

Here’s the word allegory used in a sentence:

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Answer to the quick vocab quiz

[spoiler]The best answer is (D) metaphor. Any questions? Please feel free to post them in the comments. We love comments. :)[/spoiler]