stereotype

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verb

ste·reo·type ˈster-ē-ə-ˌtīp

ˈstir-

stereotyped; stereotyping; stereotypes

Synonyms of stereotype next

transitive verb

: to make a stereotype from

: to repeat without variation : make hackneyed

: to develop a mental stereotype about

stereotyper noun

stereotype

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noun

: a plate cast from a printing surface

: something conforming to a fixed or general pattern

especially : a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment

Did you know?

What is the Difference Between cliché and stereotype?

The words cliché and stereotype have a good deal in common. Both come from French, both were originally printers’ terms, and both have come to take on somewhat negative meanings in modern use.

Their original meanings are essentially synonymous, referring to printing blocks from which numerous prints could be made. In fact, cliché means stereotype in French. Their modern meanings, however, are quite distinct. Cliché is today overwhelmingly encountered in reference to something hackneyed, such as an overly familiar or commonplace phrase, theme, or expression. Stereotype is most frequently now employed to refer to an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.

Example Sentences

Verb It's not fair to stereotype a whole group of people based on one person you don't like. Movies have stereotyped the domineering mother-in-law ad nauseam. Noun the stereotype of the absentminded professor the noble savage was a stereotype that appealed to 18th-century intellectuals, who viewed European civilization as decadent and corrupt

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Jewish people were stereotyped in the media, barred from owning property in certain neighborhoods, subject to quotas at colleges and universities and excluded from social clubs and places of employment. —

Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 4 Apr. 2023 That sort of theorizing is rarely associated with New York designers, who have often been stereotyped as too commercial and market-oriented, focused to their detriment on predictability and functionality, not invention. —

Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023 Not to stereotype or be an ageist, but the profile pictures for most of the 25-year-olds had one thing in common: abs. —

Jennifer Vally, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2023 The Anti-Defamation League condemned West's comments in a tweet, saying that antisemitic tropes like disloyalty, power and greed, commonly used to stereotype and levy hate against Jewish people, influenced Ye's comments. —

Claire Rafford, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Oct. 2022 For a brand’s social media to not stereotype or tokenize individuals, people of color need to be involved in every step of the content creation process. —

Kiran Herbert, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2020 This could hold especially true for Black girls, whom white authority figures already tend to stereotype as masculine, according to previous research. —

NBC News, 1 Mar. 2022 Smith acquiesces to contemporary platitudes that stereotype the black male work ethic as churlish and autocratic, confusing those traits with strength. —

Armond White, National Review, 11 Feb. 2022 But labels also can be weaponized to stereotype and criticize. —

Mike Bass, The Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2022

Noun

Seeing through the haze (and seeking help) The stereotypes surrounding depression call out extremes. —

Sherry Walling, Fortune Well, 17 May 2023 In one recent Twitter post Musk portrayed himself as a musketeer with both Kanye West and Donald Trump, who were both under fire at the time either for remarks that were outright antisemitic or in the case of the former president borrowed heavily from negative stereotypes. —

Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 16 May 2023 While Magneto is, at least on the surface, an inhuman genius with supernatural powers who seeks to control the world, the character has generally been praised by critics for avoiding malicious Jewish stereotypes. —

Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 16 May 2023 During a Hot Topics table discussion about the 81-year-old's recent Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover, Behar, 80, praised Stewart for challenging ageist stereotypes, and also recalled a hilarious interaction with the homemaking personality. —

Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 16 May 2023 And this doesn’t even take into consideration the issues regarding racial stereotypes. —

Sophia Scorziello, Variety, 15 May 2023 These return migrants largely grew up in a time when many Americans’ general knowledge about Asia was limited to Japan and China, and even then, revolved around offensive stereotypes, said Stephen Cho Suh, assistant professor of Asian American studies at San Diego State University. —

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 May 2023 These days, thanks to its growing appeal, those stereotypes no longer apply. —

David Sharp, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 2023 Scully is among hundreds of women across Indiana helping to slowly erase the stereotype of farmers as older men in overalls. —

Sarah Bowman, IndyStar, 11 May 2023 See More

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