variants
also archetypical
1
as in classic
constituting, serving as, or worthy of being a pattern to be imitated
St. Peter's basilica in Rome is considered by some art historians to be the archetypal structure in the baroque style
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in typical
having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind
the movie's hero is pretty archetypal, lacking in any distinctive qualities that would distinguish him from countless other masked avengers
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 archetypal
Billy Idol, their frontman, was a member of the Bromley Contingent, an influential cluster of Pistols acolytes on the early punk scene, alongside Siouxsie Sioux and the archetypal model Soo Catwoman.
—
Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2026
This archetypal hamburger and shake joint, founded in September 1956, initially had a long counter and about four tables.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Shearer and Greaves are considered among the archetypal greatest centre-forwards in the English game, but that accolade now solely belongs to Kane, whose goalscoring achievements in England and Germany are remarkable.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Despite the contrivance, Jewson makes fascinating theater out of this, flipping the archetypal image of the ballerina, and therefore femininity, on its head and rendering it as a kind of weapon, forged by years of putting up with enormous pain, against a world beset by patriarchal violence.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2026
So far, this sounds like an archetypal heroic tale—the protagonist denied his rightful place and forced to undertake impossible tasks to win it back.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Agnifilo previously worked under archetypal celebrity defense lawyer Ben Brafman, whose clients have included accused Mafia bosses and Michael Jackson, and represented Shkreli and Dominique Strauss-Kahn alongside Brafman before starting his own firm.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Jan. 2026
This water sign embodies the archetypal mother; the protective space, the nurturing force, and these qualities are precisely what dominates now.
—Danijela Pilic, Glamour, 3 Jan. 2026
Director Nadia Hallgren had immense access to Obama, following her across a 34-city book tour and turning the introspective writing into a dynamic reflection of the author as the archetypal modern woman.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2026
This archetypal hamburger and shake joint, founded in September 1956, initially had a long counter and about four tables.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Shearer and Greaves are considered among the archetypal greatest centre-forwards in the English game, but that accolade now solely belongs to Kane, whose goalscoring achievements in England and Germany are remarkable.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Despite the contrivance, Jewson makes fascinating theater out of this, flipping the archetypal image of the ballerina, and therefore femininity, on its head and rendering it as a kind of weapon, forged by years of putting up with enormous pain, against a world beset by patriarchal violence.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2026
So far, this sounds like an archetypal heroic tale—the protagonist denied his rightful place and forced to undertake impossible tasks to win it back.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Agnifilo previously worked under archetypal celebrity defense lawyer Ben Brafman, whose clients have included accused Mafia bosses and Michael Jackson, and represented Shkreli and Dominique Strauss-Kahn alongside Brafman before starting his own firm.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Jan. 2026
This water sign embodies the archetypal mother; the protective space, the nurturing force, and these qualities are precisely what dominates now.
—Danijela Pilic, Glamour, 3 Jan. 2026
Director Nadia Hallgren had immense access to Obama, following her across a 34-city book tour and turning the introspective writing into a dynamic reflection of the author as the archetypal modern woman.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypal
Adjective
-
The result is functional comfort food that fuels modern lifestyles -- bringing together great taste and powerful nutrition so people can enjoy classic favorites like pasta night with the benefits of high protein, high fiber and dramatically fewer carbs.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The cut opens with a robotic assemblage of classic synth sounds that briefly gives way to swinging drums and a bright piano melody.—
Matthew Ismael Ruiz,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As noted earlier, Form 1099-K is the typical reporting form gig workers receive from platforms that handle the collection of payments from customers and transfer the worker’s share to them.—
Annette Nellen,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
So far, the WGA has only disclosed to members that the provisional agreement will span four years rather than the union’s typical three.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Servers are dressed in exemplary white button-up shirts, black vests and bistro aprons.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Besides being a record of events, the work is a crafty portrayal of kingship, presenting Akbar in an adulatory tone, as an exemplary and divinely favored ruler.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Calls to the ships’ operators outside normal working hours either weren’t answered or weren’t immediately returned.—
Julian Lee,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Sanoja has primarily played third base this season, with seven of his nine starts coming there, but his last two starts came in center field on Thursday (to give normal starter Jakob Marsee his first day off from the field) and left field on Friday.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In New York, a grand Easter Parade brought a burst of whimsy to Fifth Avenue, where elaborate hats and costumes turned the street into a quintessential spring scene.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Year-round warm weather, hitting the links, and kicking back with the grandkids has long been the quintessential American retirement dream.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Numbers began to skyrocket around the time of the Artemis II launch on April 1st, peaking at around 12,434 at time of writing— a huge jump against the game's standard average player count, which hovers around 3,000 to 4,000.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The payments cover a 20% additional tax burden triggered by the IRS when an executive collects more than three times their average total compensation.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Through it all, the 55-year-old former Fed governor exudes a confidence that is the antithesis of Harry Truman's paradigmatic two-handed economist — qualities that seemed to attract the president and might be essential in his effort to reform the staid Federal Reserve.—
Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The Holocaust may be the paradigmatic genocide.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, CBS and ESPN forego an ad sales windfall, limiting commercial breaks to just four minutes per hour—or roughly a quarter of the standard broadcast load.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The government ought to regard the existence of a tax preparation industry for standard returns as a parasite on the body politic.—
Binyamin Appelbaum,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Archetypal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypal. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
