archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp How to pronounce archetype (audio)
1
: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : prototype
… the House of Commons, the archetype of all the representative assemblies which now meet …Thomas Babington Macaulay
also : a perfect example
He is the archetype of a successful businessman.
2
3
psychology : an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual
archetypal adjective
or less commonly archetypical
an archetypal English village
archetypally adverb
or less commonly archetypically

Did you know?

Archetype comes from the Greek verb archein ("to begin" or "to rule") and the noun typos ("type"). Archetype has specific uses in the fields of philosophy and psychology. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, for example, believed that all things have ideal forms (aka archetypes) of which real things are merely shadows or copies. And in the psychology of C. G. Jung, archetype refers to an inherited idea or mode of thought that is present in the unconscious of the individual. In everyday prose, however, archetype is most commonly used to mean "a perfect example of something."

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web By making Athena into an avatar of literary ruthlessness, Kuang transforms what could have been a character with foibles and compulsions into a universal, and thus somewhat boring, archetype: the writer who wrecks her relationships and transgresses every boundary for the sake of her work. Zoe Hu, Washington Post, 12 May 2023 And as the game has morphed into its modern form, some previous player archetypes have disappeared. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023 Besides Collette’s Margot, the family consists of archetypes rather than people. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023 Though that’s perfectly valid in theory, the heavy-handedness is quite a surprise coming from Parks, whose greatest plays float at the midpoint between archetype and individual. Jesse Green, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023 Instead, the directors let the action of the story be informed by the open-ended nature of how players approach the game, in which a party of fantasy archetypes try to figure their way through an elaborate campaign. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 9 Mar. 2023 Which is to say, the Civic is, in most critical ways, the archetype for sensible, reasonable personal transport. Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023 Writers and artists hone their craft by imitating, iterating, and integrating the work of others—further entrenching the archetypes and rhythms that humans and machines alike recognize as the trappings of art. Vivian Lam, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2023 Mescal encompasses so many of our conflicted desires for a new model of masculinity that somehow includes all the archetypes of the old model, with a softer center. Vulture, 20 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'archetype.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin archetypum, from Greek archetypon, from neuter of archetypos archetypal, from archein + typos type

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of archetype was in 1545

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near archetype

Cite this Entry

“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archetype. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

archetype

noun
ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp How to pronounce archetype (audio)
: the original pattern or model from which something is copied
archetypal adjective

Medical Definition

archetype

noun
ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp How to pronounce archetype (audio)
1
a
: a primitive generalized plan of structure deduced from the characters of a natural group of plants or animals and assumed to be the characteristic of the ancestor from which they are all descended
b
: the original ancestor of a group of plants or animals
2
: an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual
archetypal adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on archetype

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!