allegory vs symbol

symbol vs allegory

allegory and symbol both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
allegory	Yes	No	No	No
symbol	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, symbol is a hypernym of allegory; that is, symbol is a word with a broader meaning than allegory:

allegory: a visible symbol representing an abstract idea
symbol: something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible

Other hypernyms of allegory include symbolic representation, symbolisation, symbolization.

allegory (noun)	symbol (noun)
a short moral story (often with animal characters)	something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible
an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor	an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
a visible symbol representing an abstract idea

Difference between allegory and symbol

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