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
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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
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Recent Examples of archetypes
Taskmaster contestants fall into a number of archetypes.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 June 2026
The success of Citadel, which manages $68 billion in its hedge fund and has a huge securities-trading operation, has always been hard to pin on any one thing, as The New Yorker’s Gary Sernovitz teases out in a profile out this week that observed how Griffin fits none of Wall Street’s archetypes.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
His concept of the collective unconscious, a universal element of the human mind connecting past and present, was fundamental to her understanding of images and the interconnected nature of ancient archetypes.
—Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Kubiak and Janocko see a combination of the two archetypes in Bowers, a rare breed of tight end who can operate both inside and outside the box.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 2 June 2026
The blueprint for our contemporary understanding of fame and its perils, and one of the most evident and undeniable archetypes of beauty—just ask Kim Kardashian.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
Kumail Nanjiani weaponizes workplace desperation into vibrant tension as rival Toyota salesman Peyton, while Kate Berlant and Colin Jost elevate the surrounding community of neighborly archetypes through charisma alone.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 May 2026
And what new archetypes will emerge when the enterprise itself becomes fully cognitive?
—Motaz Agamawi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Ishaq has made a film peopled with women and boys who go beyond simple archetypes, setting joyful female solidarity against omnipresent conflict in a way designed to communicate with a broad demographic.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2026
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 June 2026
The success of Citadel, which manages $68 billion in its hedge fund and has a huge securities-trading operation, has always been hard to pin on any one thing, as The New Yorker’s Gary Sernovitz teases out in a profile out this week that observed how Griffin fits none of Wall Street’s archetypes.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
His concept of the collective unconscious, a universal element of the human mind connecting past and present, was fundamental to her understanding of images and the interconnected nature of ancient archetypes.
—Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Kubiak and Janocko see a combination of the two archetypes in Bowers, a rare breed of tight end who can operate both inside and outside the box.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 2 June 2026
The blueprint for our contemporary understanding of fame and its perils, and one of the most evident and undeniable archetypes of beauty—just ask Kim Kardashian.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
Kumail Nanjiani weaponizes workplace desperation into vibrant tension as rival Toyota salesman Peyton, while Kate Berlant and Colin Jost elevate the surrounding community of neighborly archetypes through charisma alone.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 May 2026
And what new archetypes will emerge when the enterprise itself becomes fully cognitive?
—Motaz Agamawi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Ishaq has made a film peopled with women and boys who go beyond simple archetypes, setting joyful female solidarity against omnipresent conflict in a way designed to communicate with a broad demographic.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypes
Noun
-
Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.—
Chris Roush,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Evans will host the series, which follows the format of the originals but takes it outside of the studio and onto location.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
-
Then there's the double-feed release button for recovering from input misfeeds and a slow-speed function for handling fragile originals.—
David English,
PC Magazine,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Like their ancient ancestors, visitors standing at the center of the stone circle on Sunday will be able to watch the sun rise above the Heel Stone to the northeast — weather depending, of course.—
Elmira Aliieva,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
-
How did some of our oldest ancestors make the first step onto land some 350 million years ago?—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
In February, the company received a contract worth almost $50 million to accelerate development and produce prototypes of the Blackbeard system.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
-
Engineers would spend months testing and calibrating prototypes in proving grounds and on real-world roads.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Earth-impacting shrapnel from those primordial upheavals may have helped seed our planet with the precursors for life, delivering water and organic compounds from the dark, icy depths of the outer solar system.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
-
Tort claims are necessary precursors to potential lawsuits against the government.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Nvidia is aiming to raise at least $20 billion in debt, according to sources with knowledge of the matter, in the chipmaker’s first bond sale since the start of the AI boom.—
Arjun Kharpal,Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
19 June 2026
-
Scientists have discovered a new way to control quantum light sources by twisting atomically thin layers of a material known as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a breakthrough that could help bring quantum technologies closer to practical use.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Prosecutors across the state have cited examples of cases where defendants qualified for diversion but went on to commit serious crimes.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Those are some of the examples on the state side.—
Sooji Nam,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Archetypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypes. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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