ARCHETYPE Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

archetype

noun

ˈär-ki-ˌtīp

Definition of archetype

as in original

something from which copies are made Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of archetype In fact, the Academy Award–winner made a name for herself by portraying women who worked their way up in the world, which proved a winning archetype among Depression-era American audiences. — Megan Johnson, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026 Her settings tend to be a little vague, her protagonists more archetypes than individuals. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 The character would prove eerily prescient, anticipating an archetype that would take shape in the decades to come. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Is this the gradual appearance of a real person where there was once simply a comedic archetype? — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for archetype

Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype

Noun

In 2021, the women’s 501 ’90s debuted with a looser, roomier leg and a mid-rise waist, offering a relaxed take on the original that has become a modern classic in its own right.

— Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
The test isn’t whether the backup looks exactly like the original.

— Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of original

Noun

He is revered in the Christian church as the forerunner of Jesus.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Koslow’s screen career began in 1976 as the writer of the film Lifeguard, a ’70s-era Baywatch forerunner starring a hunky Sam Elliott and Anne Archer.

— Tom Tapp, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

The work demonstrates microbial coloration on garments at prototype scale, with one cape produced per batch.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026
The prototype spacecraft generated an AI response from orbit using Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs).

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of prototype

Noun

According to family history, DaCosta Levy’s family lineage traced to Portugal, where his ancestors had been mariners — almost certainly Sephardic Jews who scattered across the Atlantic world after the Inquisition.

— Zachary Kranc, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
Government officials previously said that these 11 families split from a common male-line ancestor some 600 years ago, and are now at least 36 degrees of kinship from Naruhito.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

Planners still regarded the district as an important source of industrial jobs even as vacant lofts were filling with artists using them in new ways still prohibited by the laws on the books.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Deadline spoke exclusively to a source close to the filmmaker, and this will not impact start of production on that sequel to the classic crime thriller, Deadline understands.

— Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of source

Noun

To fix the chemical interference, the research team added a decoupling modulator molecule featuring ammonium ions, iodide ions, and two sulfonate groups to the precursor solution.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
This notorious commercial entity, a precursor of the global corporations of today and big enough to command its own army, ruthlessly exploited foreign resources, human and material.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of precursor

Browse Nearby Words

archetypal

archetype

archetypes

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Style

“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of archetype

noun

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