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
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
In astrology, all 12 archetypes have a unique expression, element and modality.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
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
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
In astrology, all 12 archetypes have a unique expression, element and modality.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypes
Noun
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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.
-
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.
Noun
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Evans will host the series, which follows the format of the originals but takes it outside of the studio and onto location.
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Then there's the double-feed release button for recovering from input misfeeds and a slow-speed function for handling fragile originals.
Noun
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Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
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These findings suggest that throughout great ape evolution, our ancestors gradually developed more control over the timing of their vocalizations, including laughter.
Noun
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Musk has sought for more than a decade to get the public comfortable with SpaceX’s approach to rocket development, which emphasizes testing cheap prototypes in flight and embracing the occasional mishap rather than trying to guarantee perfection.
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Now two of the prototypes developed by Arup, KNE Studio, and Reddymade have gone up at the corner of Broadway and Chambers Street, offering a glimpse of less cluttered sidewalk protection in sky blue and taxi yellow.
Noun
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Essentially, this transition marks the point where our cells are set up with the precursors required for organ formation, one of the most critical events in human development.
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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.
Noun
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The budget is also expected to include additional funding for Fair Fares and NYC Kids RISE, a college savings plan program, sources told The News.
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Late last week, it was reported that Mangione had been in talks with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal, but that had fallen aside, sources familiar with the matter said.
Noun
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Other examples include the Department of Justice's lawsuit against RealPage, which has been accused of helping landlords drive up rent prices, and the DOJ's lawsuit against Agri Stats, a data-sharing company accused of helping the meatpacking industry inflate grocery prices.
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Most Americans today are familiar with some of the famous examples, like Bostonians dumping tea in the harbor in response to the Tea Act of 1773.
Cite this Entry
“Archetypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypes. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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