1
as in forerunners
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in originals
something from which copies are made
Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of archetypes
The documentary eschews traditional narrative structure in favor of Indigenous oral storytelling traditions, organizing its content into seven chapters with character archetypes rather than following a singular protagonist.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
The jury admired the magical character design, use of animals as complex character archetypes, and sophisticated framing and movement that all create the mysterious adult world the young protagonist navigates.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
To read Young’s novel is to dwell in uncertainties and shadows, in Jungian archetypes and their dissolution.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Every night there will be a different theme embracing different vampire archetypes.
—Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Ruggedness, dependability, and handiness define a lot of outdoor archetypes, from the ski patroller to the river guide to the park ranger.
—Outside Online, 8 Oct. 2025
Its supreme confidence in its own vision, coupled with a gorgeous score from Tangerine Dream, makes Near Dark the most valuable addition to the (unfortunately rather small) group of films that mix horror with Western archetypes.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Asteroids represent archetypes, and Juno specifically rules soul contracts, loyalty, devotion, and commitments, both romantic and otherwise.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Sep. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
The jury admired the magical character design, use of animals as complex character archetypes, and sophisticated framing and movement that all create the mysterious adult world the young protagonist navigates.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
To read Young’s novel is to dwell in uncertainties and shadows, in Jungian archetypes and their dissolution.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Every night there will be a different theme embracing different vampire archetypes.
—Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Ruggedness, dependability, and handiness define a lot of outdoor archetypes, from the ski patroller to the river guide to the park ranger.
—Outside Online, 8 Oct. 2025
Its supreme confidence in its own vision, coupled with a gorgeous score from Tangerine Dream, makes Near Dark the most valuable addition to the (unfortunately rather small) group of films that mix horror with Western archetypes.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Asteroids represent archetypes, and Juno specifically rules soul contracts, loyalty, devotion, and commitments, both romantic and otherwise.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypes
Noun
-
Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
The hub has brought with it big-ticket originals like High Water, 1983, three Harlan Coben adaptations and an upcoming local verison of Love is Blind.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The deal positions Disney+ as a key SVOD partner for Tving in the critical Japanese market, with up to 60 of the Korean streamer’s top-performing originals and CJ ENM drama series set to launch on the platform.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her ancestors were from Russia, who later fled to Ukraine and settled in Philadelphia.—
Colleen Kratofil,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The idea was to go back to the basic foods that their ancestors ate.—
Chrystle Fiedler,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Previous Chinese efforts in deep-sea mining were primarily limited to theoretical studies and lab-scale prototypes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Though Waymo has never operated commercially in Michigan, the tech company has had a presence in the state since 2016 after establishing an engineering facility in Novi that builds prototypes.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The interaction between Hillary Galkin-Griffith from Three Hills Winery and Carol Erenyi, visiting for the weekend from Laguna Niguel with her husband, was typical of those whose wine tastings were precursors to future winery visits.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Trump said that Xi committed to cracking down on the production of fentanyl precursors as well in exchange for lowering tariffs on China.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The change has proved costly because Venezuela lost one of its few remaining sources of legitimate income.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
-
As global demand for cleaner and more efficient energy sources intensifies, solar power remains one of the most promising solutions.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In his petition, Kjoller, who was ultimately convicted on the firearms charges, alleges that all three cases included examples of AI use gone wrong.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Over 300 examples have been sold.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Archetypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypes. Accessed 23 Nov. 2025.
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