1
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the abacus is sometimes cited as the archetype of the modern digital calculator
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in original
something from which copies are made
Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of archetype
On the runway that meant assembling different female archetypes with the same wardrobe.
—
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2025
By Hannah Giorgis At first glance, the main character of The Teacher, the debut feature film by the Palestinian British writer-director Farah Nabulsi, seems drawn from a familiar inspirational-movie archetype.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
Any romance reader familiar with the enemies-to-lovers trope should recognize this archetype.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
West, the model for the NBA logo and in many ways the original prototype for Curry’s combo-guard archetype as a do-everything scoring dynamo with a sweet shot, was a legendary player for the Lakers in the 1960s and 1970s before helping build two separate dynasties in Los Angeles as an executive.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2025
By Hannah Giorgis At first glance, the main character of The Teacher, the debut feature film by the Palestinian British writer-director Farah Nabulsi, seems drawn from a familiar inspirational-movie archetype.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
Any romance reader familiar with the enemies-to-lovers trope should recognize this archetype.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
West, the model for the NBA logo and in many ways the original prototype for Curry’s combo-guard archetype as a do-everything scoring dynamo with a sweet shot, was a legendary player for the Lakers in the 1960s and 1970s before helping build two separate dynasties in Los Angeles as an executive.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
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Indeed, VistaVision was the forerunner of IMAX 65mm, with its horizontal orientation.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2025
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The company plans to recreate the mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, by editing the genome of each species’ closest living relative to make a hybrid animal that would be visually indistinguishable from its extinct forerunner.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Virtual representation of that entity or process – A virtual model that doesn’t just mimic the original but evolves with it, capturing subtleties and complexities.—
Ben Chused,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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The new show will revisit the iconic suburban setting that helped turn the original into a cultural phenomenon during its 2004–2012 run on ABC.—
Jenna deJong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Like all Guna, Lisa’s ancestors were not native island dwellers.—
Mark Johanson,
AFAR Media,
22 Apr. 2025
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Water bottle The modern-day source of water for many people—their water bottle—may be just as germ-filled as our ancient ancestors’ go-to watering hole.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the third round range, the Bills generally rely on a prototype for certain positions — defensive end among them — to give their picks the best chance to succeed in the NFL.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Amazon launched two prototype Kuiper satellites in 2023 to set the stage for the Kuiper 1 mission.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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CSAs have often been precursors to broader agreements among countries.—
Ngaire Woods,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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Many people at Saturday’s protest worried that the ruling could be the precursor to other judgments that diminish the rights of transgender people.—
Kwiyeon Ha and Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Tesla's lower-cost Model Y: US launch pushed back as sources reveal production challengesNeed a break?—
Mike Scarcella,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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The goal should be not to remove the sources of conflict with Russia but to place constraints on its ability to harm U.S. interests.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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