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
This pointed to suits and sartorial pieces with a little twist, expressed in tweaks in texture or proportion that were just enough to cast a new light on familiar wardrobe archetypes.
—
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Now escape the generic archetypes of logic and think like a novelist, remembering (or discovering) a specific story of when every person on your list was creative in their own distinct way.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
Exploring Mexico’s most celebrated ghost stories, Three Mexican Folk Songs, by David Conte, highlight haunting archetypes such as La Bruja and La Llorona.
—Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
The Argyle Sweater An archetype of preppy fall style, argyle sweaters are having a moment once more.
—Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Now escape the generic archetypes of logic and think like a novelist, remembering (or discovering) a specific story of when every person on your list was creative in their own distinct way.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
Exploring Mexico’s most celebrated ghost stories, Three Mexican Folk Songs, by David Conte, highlight haunting archetypes such as La Bruja and La Llorona.
—Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
The Argyle Sweater An archetype of preppy fall style, argyle sweaters are having a moment once more.
—Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
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Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The event turned out to be a forerunner to the UN Earth Summit.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The latter synthesizes a half-dozen Vincente Minnelli-meets-Marilyn musical numbers, minus the sweat and soul of the originals.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Both Countdown and Butterfly debuted to positive fanfare this past summer, ranking within Nielsen's Top 10 streaming originals charts.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a personal tie, her paternal ancestors were the owners of the woollen manufacturer and merchant, William Lupton & Co, which was based in Leeds.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
It was owned by the Torriani-Avanti family for more than 300 years, and yes, the same family whose ancestors now rest in Florence’s Santa Croce alongside Michelangelo and Galileo.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Blending two worlds In April, the same team made headlines after developing the PoX 2D flash memory prototype, which achieved an extraordinary program speed of 400 picoseconds, the fastest semiconductor charge storage ever recorded.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
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Lightfighter's other prototype, labeled the V3-RH, is a 135-hp (100-kW) super-naked with higher handlebars and no fairing, built for acceptance into the professional MotoAmerica Super Hooligan series next year.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The event is a precursor to the major United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, next month.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
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Some people in this group had Alzheimer’s dementia, others had what is called mild cognitive impairment of the Alzheimer’s type (which is sometimes a precursor to the disease) while another group with no evidence of dementia or cognitive decline served as a control.—
Robert Martone,
Scientific American,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Two sources told Fortune that Amazon’s human resources division—known internally as PXT or the People eXperience Technology team—will be hard hit, but that other areas of Amazon’s core consumer business are also likely to be affected.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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The results weren't perfect — for the third quarter in a row, Wells Fargo missed the consensus estimate for NII, a crucial revenue source for traditional banks.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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