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 During the war, Pavese immersed himself in Greek tragedy, as well as the anthropological writings of Frazer and Lévy-Bruhl, Freud on childhood and the narrative technique of dreams, and Jung on the archetypes of the collective unconscious. — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 But this sleekly miserable noir about the aftermath of a feckless man’s confrontation with his wife’s younger lover transports the stuff of archetype into Putin’s Russia. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 In the same way that somebody brings something to a new Harry Potter series or a James Bond or something of that nature that has a kind of cyclical storytelling element with different repeating archetypes. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 The plots aren’t particularly developed or surprising, and the characters are written more as archetypes than as real people. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for archetype

Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype

Noun

The original was super, super matte, and that just doesn’t work for my skin anymore.

— Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 30 Sep. 2026
Sirat producer Farré recently replaced José María Caro as originals chief.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of original

Noun

Dubbed the ‘American Turtle’ for its appearance, the submarine made three attempts to blow up British ships without success, but is considered the forerunner of modern submarines.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

As of now, On does not sell soccer boots, although Mbappé has already teased a prototype in matches.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
Leaders should look beyond benchtop prototypes to assess manufacturing capacity, component-level supply-chain resilience, production lead times and the ability to repair or replace systems in the field.

— Rohit Jha, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of prototype

Noun

By remaining involved in the businesses their ancestors began, these families have preserved and expanded their wealth across multiple generations while also shaping the American business landscape.

— Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026
John Spencer, at the time heir to the Spencer earldom and styled as Viscount Althorp, was two years older than Queen Elizabeth II and descended from a long line of ancestors who served the British crown.

— Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

SpaceX has advantage its rivals can’t easily match Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.

— Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Real people such as East German Ambassador Kurt Krüger and VERIFIED GDR deeds in Afghanistan are cited in the source notes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of source

Noun

The process, which typically is a precursor to involuntary staff reductions, just concluded with the cooling-off period for those who had opted in ending this past weekend, sources said.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
The coal and steel organization was the first among European institutions that were precursors to what eventually became the European Union.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of precursor

Browse Nearby Words

archetypal

archetype

archetypes

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of archetype

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on archetype

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

adventitious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes