✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

prototypical

adjective

pro·​to·​typ·​i·​cal ˌprō-tə-ˈti-pi-kəl How to pronounce prototypical (audio)
variants or less commonly prototypic
: of, relating to, or being a prototype
prototypically adverb

Examples of prototypical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And purely from the outside looking in, Tomlin seems to check a lot of boxes for the prototypical coach in need of a fresh challenge. Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025 Sometimes his quest for the truth takes the shape of a prototypical thriller—rendezvous at dive bars, threats issued by shadowy goons in parking lots. Judy Berman, Time, 9 Oct. 2025 The idea that crying is a conspicuous signal of surrender in a conflict is a satisfying theory of the prototypical scenario. Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025 Jake is the prototypical masculine husband, constantly working out and pressuring Maddie to start a family. Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prototypical

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prototypical was in 1650

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prototypical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prototypical. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

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!