archetypes

noun

plural of archetype
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

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 archetypes Her characters might evoke recognizable archetypes — the himbo, the party girl, the rich kid — but they’re too specifically realized to be defined by them. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026 For her Odyssey press tour, Zendaya called upon Schiaparelli couture to channel the archetypes of Greek mythology at the London premiere of the show. — Shelby Comroe, InStyle, 25 July 2026 However, for this, our sixth annual edition, there was still no shortage of Van Wilder seventh-year archetypes. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 24 July 2026 The fall 2026 collection is supported with a new campaign that reflects this and unfolds through a series of intimate, voyeuristic vignettes that bring the archetypes to life. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 23 July 2026 These archetypes, once commonplace, are an endangered species, a style of ballplayer that belongs to the past. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 July 2026 The sessions went so well that Morali asked Willis to front the group, which adopted campy archetypes of masculinity — cop, cowboy and construction worker among them — in their stage costumes. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 Most of the comedy lies in drawing out the characters’ ridiculous attempts to fit into crime movie archetypes — but more than once, this only draws attention to the film’s own failure to meet the standards of its genre. — Elena Lazic, Variety, 26 June 2026 That also was the case with weapons, where only half or so of weapon archetypes were dedicated anti-champion picks. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypes
  1. forerunners
  2. originals
  3. ancestors
  4. prototypes
  5. precursors
  6. sources
  7. examples
Noun
  • 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
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • Performed mostly with the world’s coolest house band in Yo La Tengo, the 19-song set saw iconoclastic singers and musicians add their own flavor to Ono originals.
    — Katherine Turman, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
  • After four Power series were recently licensed to Netflix in much of the world, Hirsch said additional licensing deals for Starz originals were expected with other international platforms.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of originals
Noun
  • While Silicon Valley has since moved on to shaping the future of artificial intelligence, these hardware enthusiasts are intent on saving the Atari, Commodore and IBM machines that are ancestors to today’s laptops, wearable devices and smartphones.
    — Terry Chea, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Long before dinosaurs ruled the continents and modern crocodiles first appeared, their ancestors were already going through a decisive phase in their evolutionary history.
    — The Conversation, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • One of the standout prototypes this year was the BMW Alpina, a material manifestation of the marque’s discontent with the status quo.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Developed by Cleora with 3D-printing contractor True North and technology provider RIC Robotics, the project aims to demonstrate that robotic construction can move beyond prototypes and support entire neighborhoods.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of prototypes
Noun
  • The ideology of Third Worldism and the New Agey, anything-goes-style progressivism of the West Coast that Naipaul so keenly lacerates were necessary precursors to the mass death in Guyana.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Jack Kilby, the inventor of the integrated circuit, or microchip, and the handheld calculator—early precursors of AI.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of precursors
Noun
  • Now, multiple sources told CBS California Investigates that the governor's office plans to veto AB 1608.
    — Julie Watts, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, sources inside the organization said the Walter regime prioritized immediate profits over long-term infrastructure investments.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of sources
Noun
  • While not every meet-cute on set grows into something real, there have been plenty of examples of A-list co-workers entering into successful relationships.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Seven examples were recently collected from Pacific waters 2 to 3 miles deep near the Cook Islands, and the teeth were as big as 5 inches in length, NOAA Ocean Exploration noted in a news release.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of examples

Browse Nearby Words

archetype
archetypes
archfiend
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Archetypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypes. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on archetypes

Nglish: Translation of archetypes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All