1
as in original
something from which copies are made
Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the abacus is sometimes cited as the archetype of the modern digital calculator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 archetype
The jury admired the magical character design, use of animals as complex character archetypes, and sophisticated framing and movement that all create the mysterious adult world the young protagonist navigates.
—
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
Bennett’s book seems to question whether scrutinizing every new gendered archetype or behavior, in the disembodied way social media encourages, is productive.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
As Buffy, Shannon Elizabeth parodied the girl-next-door archetype, eventually proving to be not so innocent behind the scenes.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Paired with her black latex gown and a silver necklace stack, Simpson’s hair embodied the ultimate Y2K archetype wrapped in muddy coloring.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
Bennett’s book seems to question whether scrutinizing every new gendered archetype or behavior, in the disembodied way social media encourages, is productive.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
As Buffy, Shannon Elizabeth parodied the girl-next-door archetype, eventually proving to be not so innocent behind the scenes.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Paired with her black latex gown and a silver necklace stack, Simpson’s hair embodied the ultimate Y2K archetype wrapped in muddy coloring.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
-
The 2022 Sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre Set in the modern day, this 2022 Netflix movie is (another) direct sequel to the original, ignoring every film that comes between.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
But sometimes its just great to come back to the original.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Park cinema launched under the ownership of Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, a forerunner of Cineplex and today an operator of multiplexes and out of home destinations.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Coupe prototype is a high-riding grand tourer with a long snout, doors that slide open rather than swing, and a fastback roofline – a classic high-line design characteristic.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Oct. 2025
-
As recent graduates from the University of California, Davis, he and co-founder Moby Ahmed had some initial lab data but not much in the way of substantial proof, let alone yarn samples or prototypes.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Her ancestors were from Russia, who later fled to Ukraine and settled in Philadelphia.—
Colleen Kratofil,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The idea was to go back to the basic foods that their ancestors ate.—
Chrystle Fiedler,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
New president Wade Rousse, hired to the job on Tuesday, has decided to promote interim athletic director Verge Ausberry to the full-time role, a school source confirmed to The Athletic.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Energy transition, by contrast, typically refers to the transfer from one energy source to another.—
Sam Meredith,Dan Murphy,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The story revealed Lively had filed a precursor complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Trump said that Xi committed to cracking down on the production of fentanyl precursors as well in exchange for lowering tariffs on China.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share