Synonyms of archetype

archetype

noun

ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

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

• original
• prototype
• source
• example
• blueprint
• model
• paradigm
• mold
• pattern
• ideal
• classic
• exemplar
• paragon
• nonpareil
• draft
• beau ideal

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• imitation
• copy
• reproduction
• replica
• forgery
• sham
• counterfeit
• fake

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

• forerunner
• ancestor
• precursor
• prototype
• predecessor
• antecedent
• model
• original
• granddaddy
• daddy
• originator
• mother
• foregoer
• sire
• father

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• descendant
• derivative
• outgrowth
• offshoot
• son
• by-product
• daughter
• spin-off

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of archetype

Although her image would become an archetype of maternal worry and suffering, Thompson was not referenced by name in Lange’s reminiscences because the photographer never knew her identity. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026

Some of them still live in cabins and grow their own food and others spend their days staring at Microsoft Office screens, but versions of the spontaneous hippie archetype still live on within each of them. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026

In turn, schools like the Forge birthed a new military archetype, whose adherents were often privileged, scrappy, and damaged—just as Holden Caulfield was. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Faith King and Josiah Fagerstrom both deliver delightfully prickly repartee as their characters gradually manage to surpass archetype. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026

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