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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
These archetypes prioritize risk tolerance, strategic planning, and transparency, according to OneStream.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
And this character archetype — a man with a gruff exterior but a good heart — would become a through-line for his career.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama are two examples of players who perfectly fit this archetype.
—Anthony Pasciolla, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Loïs Boisson and Victoria Mboko’s rises have all the hallmarks of a tennis fairytale, the sudden thrust into stardom that constitutes the Cinderella story, one of the most enduring archetypes in sports.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
And this character archetype — a man with a gruff exterior but a good heart — would become a through-line for his career.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama are two examples of players who perfectly fit this archetype.
—Anthony Pasciolla, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Loïs Boisson and Victoria Mboko’s rises have all the hallmarks of a tennis fairytale, the sudden thrust into stardom that constitutes the Cinderella story, one of the most enduring archetypes in sports.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
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The reactor is the forerunner to the Aalo Pod, a 50-megawatt modular power plant designed specifically for data centers.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
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Bittler has been with Paramount (and its forerunner Viacom) for some 25 years, most recently as executive vp communications for the company’s kids and family division, including Nickelodeon, Awesomeness and kids and family series at Paramount+.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There are also two originals by American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
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Blessedly, the follow-up to The Nun improves on the original in every way.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Her ancestor’s analytic model discouraged self-revelation by the therapist, but Freud often meets her guests’ excavations of desire and vulnerability with her own candid recollections.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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In Rea Rasmussen's case, the process took 18 months and required building genealogical connections back to ancestors born in the 1780s.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The prototype is built using commercially available parts, including micro-LED lights, optical lenses, and sensors from smartphone cameras, keeping costs down and making future mass production feasible.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
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Working together, the plant teams agreed to accept shorter lead times for receiving prototypes in return for designs with fewer problems.—
Nelson P. Repenning,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Events once considered rare—like the 2003 Northeast blackout that hit 50 million people—are now seen as precursors of larger disruptions.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Armani’s foray into the food and beverage world in 1998 served as a precursor to his interior design endeavors but greatly established his design vision.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Tesla is registered to 20-year-old David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, according to a senior LAPD source.—
Alex Stone,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
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During more than two hours of testimony, journalist Michael Shellenberger testified that sources had informed him that intelligence communities are in possession of numerous high-resolution photos and videos of the craft unlike any of the grainy imagery that has so far been declassified.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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