typology

noun

ty·​pol·​o·​gy tī-ˈpä-lə-jē 

plural typologies

1

: study of or analysis or classification based on types or categories

2

: a doctrine of theological types

especially : one holding that things in Christian belief are prefigured or symbolized by things in the Old Testament

typologist

tī-ˈpä-lə-jist 

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Those typologies would be well known to virtually any Chicagoan: Single-family bungalow, two-flat, three-flat, six-flat and row house. —Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2023

The ample one-bedroom residence, organized around an interior patio, is a contemporary take on the traditional typology of local farmhouses, with a nearby guest cottage featuring the same dimensions as the courtyard, as if extruded from the main volume. —Ana Karina Zatarain, ELLE Decor, 30 Nov. 2022

In the 1960s, researchers developed a typology of four styles of parenting, based on the levels of support and control that parents exhibited: Research since then has backed the authoritative style, which combines high expectations with a willingness to meet a child’s needs. —Elizabeth Chang, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023

Briggs seized on the idea, and mother and daughter threw themselves into the task, fashioning questions intended to identify people as introverts or extroverts, thinkers or feelers, among other categories, while drawing on Jung’s psychological typology. —Benedict Carey, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2022

Ehrman Crest redefines the typology of a classroom, which sometimes has a sterile feel to it. —Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023

The story posits that the rental market for single-family homes has held up because renters of that typology have more money. —Roger Valdez, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023

As a typology, the mall is ideally suited to Dallas, because the mall caters to two of the city’s favorite pastimes: driving and shopping. —Dallas News, 27 July 2022

The Myers-Briggs, which is based off of Jungian typology, sorts people into 16 hard-and-fast personality categories. —Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Medical Definition

typology

noun

ty·​pol·​o·​gy tī-ˈpäl-ə-jē 

plural typologies

: study of or study based on types

especially : classification (as of personality, human physique, or bacterial strains) based on the comparative study of types

typological

ˌtī-pə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective