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
Villa do not have an archetypal right-winger following Bailey’s departure.
—
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Gaza also has a Biblical presence, associated with the Philistines, the archetypal enemy of the Israelites.
—Marc Champion, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
But given that finally writing that book is the archetypal one-day retirement dream for a lot of people, McGilchrist’s advice is especially pertinent.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
Today’s clients aren’t just heiresses and socialites—such as the archetypal ladies who lunched Nan Kempner and Lynn Wyatt—they’re young tech founders, wealthy aesthetes, and archivists.
—Chloe Russell Kent, Air Mail, 9 Aug. 2025
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Gaza also has a Biblical presence, associated with the Philistines, the archetypal enemy of the Israelites.
—Marc Champion, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
But given that finally writing that book is the archetypal one-day retirement dream for a lot of people, McGilchrist’s advice is especially pertinent.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
Today’s clients aren’t just heiresses and socialites—such as the archetypal ladies who lunched Nan Kempner and Lynn Wyatt—they’re young tech founders, wealthy aesthetes, and archivists.
—Chloe Russell Kent, Air Mail, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypal
Adjective
-
Mackie, who grew up enamored of screen starlets, infused his costumes with a sense of classic-Hollywood camp.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
V-neck tees worn underneath polo shirts and classic white tank tops with backless cuts.—
Ludwig Hurtado,
Them.,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Stephen Glennon, vice president, national accounts at OEC Group, noted that there wasn’t the typical peak season this year.—
Sarah Jones,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The buck has 14 points and rough scores as a non-typical at 184 inches.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
No longer just the quintessential New England favorite or the Cali tech bro in fleece, the half zip will be spotted everywhere this fall, with so many stylish brands putting their own spin on the classic.—
Nneya Richards,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Oct. 2025
-
All creatives agreed that reinterpreting the IP and using it mostly as inspiration was quintessential for the TV version.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Residents here have above average educational backgrounds and the higher incomes that accompany them.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
While the average cruise length is around seven days, short sailings can pack an entire vacation’s worth of fun into a mid-week getaway or long weekend.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The 1994 slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda became the paradigmatic example, prosecuted at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and recognized by the UN Security Council.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Though beloved by many straight men for the wrong reasons, the central character in American Psycho — a movie directed by a woman, written by a woman, and based on a novel written by a gay man — has always been paradigmatic of repressed same-sex desire.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Switching to pricier papers specifically designed for inkjets can boost an ink tank printer's text quality and line graphics to at least match a laser, but the different paper types have a noticeably different feel than standard plain paper.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The updates also underscore NVIDIA’s ambition to define the standard platform for building general-purpose robots, especially humanoids, which demand precise physics and complex reasoning to function in human environments.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The absence of any definitive answer only invites more intrigue within an organization unafraid to make drastic changes.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, there is no definitive answer to the question of which royal princess has more aura, which is itself a highly subjective concept.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Newsweek contacted Johnson by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Vitamins and some foods can change the shade, and your first pee of the morning will almost always be darker — that’s normal.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Archetypal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypal. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share