archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

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

: idea sense 4c

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

ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl 

adjective

or less commonly archetypical

ˌär-ki-ˈti-pi-kəl 

an archetypal English village

archetypally

ˌär-ki-ˈti-pə-lē 

adverb

or less commonly archetypically

ˌär-ki-ˈti-pi-k(ə-)lē 

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."

Synonyms

• ancestor
• antecedent
• daddy
• foregoer
• forerunner
• granddaddy
• grandaddy
• precursor
• predecessor
• prototype

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet Camilla finds herself under fire yet again, in a version of the fairy tale archetype of the wicked stepmother. —Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2023

Smith, the convention co-founder, says that people are drawn to mermaiding for many reasons, the most prominent of which seems to be the longevity of the archetype. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2022

If anything, today’s superheroes, whether in comics, video games or movies, are just the latest iterations of an archetype whose existence stretches back millennia, appearing in the myths and legends of virtually every culture on the planet. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2022

This is the archetype, the ye olde, your classic ball drop. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 28 Dec. 2022

In time, though, attention has centered on the mental health struggles of America’s most celebrated archetype — the military veteran. —Lyle Jeremy Rubin, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2022

Although Patti Smith and Blondie’s Debbie Harry were the spotlight frontwomen of the CBGB’s scene, Weymouth cut a unique figure that would soon become an archetype: the female bass player in an otherwise all-male band. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 21 Sep. 2022

Traditionally, the working class has been represented by a compelling archetype—a white man with a union job who was able to earn a comfortable wage even without a college degree. —Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022

By the end of the Crimean War, Mother Seacole had become the archetype of the loyal colonial subject doing her bit for the British war effort—the embodiment of Christian kindness, compassion and generosity of spirit. —Helen Rappaport, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2022

See More

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

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Kids Definition

archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

: the original pattern or model from which something is copied

archetypal

ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

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

ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl 

adjective