stereotype
verb
, ˈstir-\
Definition of stereotype
(Entry 1 of 2)
stereotype
nounDefinition of stereotype (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from stereotype
Verb
Noun
\
or less commonly stereotypic \ ˌster-ē-ə-ˈti-pik
\
adjective
\
adverb
Synonyms for stereotype
Synonyms: Verb
hackney, overexpose, overuse, vulgarize
Synonyms: Noun
concept, conception, generality, generalization, notion
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Examples of stereotype in a Sentence
Verb
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 nauseamNoun
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
The performances would stereotype black men and women as ignorant, hypersexual, superstitious, lazy people who were prone to thievery and cowardice. — Jesse J. Holland, The Seattle Times, "Explaining the outrage: Racist history of American blackface began in the 1830s," 6 Feb. 2019 Asians in America have long been stereotyped as undistinguishable robotic automatons. — Michael Li, Vox, "I support affirmative action. But Harvard really is hurting Asian Americans.," 18 Oct. 2018 Popular culture tends to stereotype ham-radio operators as tinkerer-geeks from a bygone era—and indeed, many ham operators enjoy fiddling with their gear and learning about how to operate their radios almost as much as using them. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "How to Choose a Two-Way Radio," 10 Dec. 2018 This draws a hurtful line between people who experience psychosis and neurotypical people, further alienating and stereotyping those dealing with mental health issues. — Stefanie Lyn Kaufman As Told To Korin Miller, SELF, "This Is What It's Really Like to Experience Psychosis," 23 Aug. 2018 Whereas conservatives are generally stereotyped as smart but mean. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Microsoft is more valuable than Apple again. Why?," 30 Nov. 2018 That is to say the people who might be outraged by an ad stereotyping Chinese culture aren't necessarily the consumers buying the clothes. — Mekita Rivas, Teen Vogue, "Melania Trump Wore Dolce & Gabbana After Their 'Racist' Chinese Ad Controversy," 27 Nov. 2018 In some instances, the liberal arguments come from candidates who can sell themselves as trustworthy messengers, even if the message is stereotyped as out of place. — Thomas Beaumont, The Seattle Times, "Democrats test liberal messages in midterm House elections," 11 June 2018 Of the 118 study participants Allam interviewed, 84 reported that feminist ideologies carried a negative connotation among Egyptians and that feminist activists were stereotyped. — Kim Yi Dionne, Washington Post, "This book helps us understand women’s participation in the Egyptian uprising," 8 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The local organization uses donations and funding from NewsMatch to expand students’ reporting experiences with the goal of breaking stereotypes about the southern border. — Linley Sanders, Teen Vogue, "Nonprofit News Outlets Give Local Communities Control of Media Narratives," 7 Dec. 2018 But shows like Younger and The Bold Type are breaking down stereotypes, featuring women who are so much more than just one thing. — Emily Cassidy /, NBC News, "In the Know: Women in the news 7/9-7/13," 13 July 2018 This stereotype is not entirely false, and helps explain the game’s decline in the land where it was invented. — The Economist, "How women and children might save golf in Scotland," 5 July 2018 Chopra has spoken about wanting to break stereotypes about India. — Vidhi Doshi, chicagotribune.com, "A recent episode of Priyanka Chopra's 'Quantico' has Indians fuming," 6 June 2018 Play-acting as a broad stereotype on TV has real-world ramifications. — Noel Murray, The Verge, "The 20 best TV series of 2018," 12 Dec. 2018 Carter’s supporters have hit back, defending her record in Annapolis and accusing Merrill of embracing a racist stereotype. — Luke Broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Democrats divide over heated Senate campaign between Jill Carter and J.D. Merrill," 7 June 2018 One way to do this is by imagining that the person is an actual human being and not a caricature or a stereotype. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "Read This Before Calling the Police: For Wypipo Who Have Considered Cops When Privilege Wasn’t Enough," 17 May 2018 Black hair, in particular, has a disheartening history of falling subject to limiting stereotypes. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "Kelly Rowland's New Music Video Shatters Beauty Standards," 6 Feb. 2019These 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.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
7 Obsolete Allusions That We Still Use
7 Obsolete Allusions That We Still Use
Common terms that reference old things
Dictionary Entries near stereotype
Statistics for stereotype
Last Updated
13 Mar 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for stereotype
The first known use of stereotype was in 1804
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More Definitions for stereotype
stereotype
verb
English Language Learners Definition of stereotype
(Entry 1 of 2)
stereotype
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of stereotype (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for stereotype in the English Language Learners Dictionary
stereotype
noun
, ˈstir-\
Kids Definition of stereotype
(Entry 1 of 2)
stereotype
verbKids Definition of stereotype (Entry 2 of 2)
stereotype
transitive verb
, ˈstir-
\
Medical Definition of stereotype
(Entry 1 of 2)
stereotype
nounMedical Definition of stereotype (Entry 2 of 2)
Other Words from stereotype
\
also stereotypic \ -ik
\
adjective
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