as in notions
an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation
the noble savage was a stereotype that appealed to 18th-century intellectuals, who viewed European civilization as decadent and corrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in overuses
to use so much as to make less appealing
Movies have stereotyped the domineering mother-in-law ad nauseam.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stereotypes
Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 18 Mar. 2026
But that shift is still recent, and decades of cultural baggage — from sexist slasher stereotypes to schlocky late-night programming — continue to shape perception.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
His opening montage and monologue was nearly 20 minutes long, his bits between categories played on boring stereotypes and cheap punchlines.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Besides speech, there is also concern about the impact of politicians and other public figures weaponizing stereotypes to incite hate crimes and discrimination.
—Stefanie Dazio, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
Students can feel more isolated, and even targeted, if lessons replicate stereotypes.
—Amaarah Decuir, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
In the brief, Baruch wrote Broadnax’s trial was riddled with racial stereotypes and anti-Black rhetoric, including using his lyrics to paint him as a danger to the public.
—Jamie Landers, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
This movie, based on a real-life 1940s women's professional baseball team, was ahead of its time in dispelling gender stereotypes.
—Karen Cicero, Parents, 5 Mar. 2026
The direction reduces the lead performances to flash and flare, while actors in supporting roles are left inhabiting stereotypes.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Antonio Ferme, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
But while working mom and trad wife stereotypes reign online and in popular culture, many moms fall somewhere in between those two tropes.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
These words have different meanings in the context of AAVE, some say, and using them in a way that appropriates or stereotypes certain people groups strips away the importance of the original definitions.
—Mia Thurow, jsonline.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
A lot of her work challenges gender stereotypes.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 18 Mar. 2026
But that shift is still recent, and decades of cultural baggage — from sexist slasher stereotypes to schlocky late-night programming — continue to shape perception.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
His opening montage and monologue was nearly 20 minutes long, his bits between categories played on boring stereotypes and cheap punchlines.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Besides speech, there is also concern about the impact of politicians and other public figures weaponizing stereotypes to incite hate crimes and discrimination.
—Stefanie Dazio, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
Students can feel more isolated, and even targeted, if lessons replicate stereotypes.
—Amaarah Decuir, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
In the brief, Baruch wrote Broadnax’s trial was riddled with racial stereotypes and anti-Black rhetoric, including using his lyrics to paint him as a danger to the public.
—Jamie Landers, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
This movie, based on a real-life 1940s women's professional baseball team, was ahead of its time in dispelling gender stereotypes.
—Karen Cicero, Parents, 5 Mar. 2026
The direction reduces the lead performances to flash and flare, while actors in supporting roles are left inhabiting stereotypes.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Coalition for Faith and Media, in partnership with HarrisX, recently launched a research study that found 70% of Americans believe Hollywood stereotypes faith, while 82% say film and TV should prioritize portraying more accurate and complex portrayals of faith and religion.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
But while working mom and trad wife stereotypes reign online and in popular culture, many moms fall somewhere in between those two tropes.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
These words have different meanings in the context of AAVE, some say, and using them in a way that appropriates or stereotypes certain people groups strips away the importance of the original definitions.
—Mia Thurow, jsonline.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stereotypes
Noun
-
Beef does something similar, translating immigrant frustration into the visual vocabulary of an American thriller, animated by distinctly Korean notions of family honor, shame, resentment and parental pressure.—
Dan Bilefsky,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Mar. 2026
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Our ability to ignore, repress, and deny is matched only by our ability to believe the unbelievable and to give chimeric notions the power to found religions, nations, and institutions.—
Robert Pogue Harrison,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That’s important, since many people make the mistake—both in the gym and daily life—of shrugging their shoulders up to their ears, which overuses the upper traps and elevates the scapula.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Zee approaches art with an investigative mindset, exploring themes and concepts with depth and authenticity.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
-
However, perhaps the height of Red Dwarf's experimentation with sci-fi concepts and the exploration of its main protagonists’ morality was the season five finale, Back to Reality.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For instance, if a textbook bores you, try watching a documentary!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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The invasive beetle bores into wood and kills ash trees by eating tissues under the bark.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Second, however, at the chasm between the Framers’ conceptions of Presidential war power and the unbounded nature of that authority today.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
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Rising above material needs, our current conceptions of class, identity, and climate will shift radically.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stereotypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stereotypes. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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