It's not fair to stereotype a whole group of people based on one person you don't like.
movies have stereotyped the hooker with a heart of gold ad nauseam
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stereotype.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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.
1804
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
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stereotype.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use: 1817
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same year: to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same
: an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic
See words that rhyme with stereotype Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stereotype Spanish Central: Translation of stereotype Nglish: Translation of stereotype for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stereotype for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stereotype
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