A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.
Examples:
The film served as an allegory for modern society’s disconnect.Through allegory, the poem revealed deeper spiritual truths.His book uses allegory to criticize political systems.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Analogy
/əˈnælədʒi/
A comparison between two things that are similar in some way, usually to explain a concept
Examples:
But the analogy ignored the neutron's distinctive neutrality.Polanyi proposed an analogy.Her analogy to a maze perfectly captured the complexity.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
Allegory and analogy are both used in literature and communication but have distinct purposes.
An allegory is often a complete narrative, telling a story where characters and events symbolically represent broader themes or messages.
An analogy is a comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification, often using the structure A is to B as C is to D.
Remember that allegories are typically longer and more complex, while analogies are usually short and simple comparisons.
Both can be used to explain difficult concepts, but an allegory does this through storytelling, whereas analogy does it through direct comparison.