stereotypes 1 of 2

Definition of stereotypesnext
plural of stereotype
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

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stereotypes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stereotype
as in overuses
to use so much as to make less appealing Movies have stereotyped the domineering mother-in-law ad nauseam.

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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 stereotypes
Noun
Research shows that single people going through cancer care have worse outcomes, and DelFattore said those disparities are amplified by stereotypes often held by doctors. Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026 How can storytellers incorporate faith thoughtfully, avoid stereotypes, and reflect the complexity of belief in today’s world? Peter White, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026 Maren Morris is opening up about the impact of gender stereotypes on kids. Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026 For years, Ye used his considerable celebrity to promote hate and violence against Jews, spreading antisemitic lies and stereotypes to his 33 million followers — more than twice the number of Jewish people alive today. Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026 The Holy Land urgently requires us to look beyond the dangerous stereotypes about Arabs. Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026 As this shift took place, the literary figure of the serial killer gave authors as well as readers an opportunity to sift through the public health issues that were deeply entangled with the racial stereotypes of the War on Drugs. Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026 But for me, at least, the direction is neither sufficiently cohesive or detailed, in that crucial moment-by-moment way, to really pull all of these different strands together to offer much more than a chance to have fun with genre stereotypes or relive a favorite movie. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026 At the dawn of the 20th century, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion took hold of the Western imagination, codifying generations of stereotypes and canards about Jews controlling global events and packaging them in easy-to-read pamphlets. Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 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
  • Breakaway notions, such as ‘Calexit,’ are fanciful, but the discontent driving them is real.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Advice or even just notions—only check email after noon; never do 10 reps of crunches—solidify into absolutism or vanish.
    Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • The rotating space station demonstrates centrifugal artificial gravity, reflecting concepts studied by real aerospace engineers.
    Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Its rotating space station demonstrates centrifugal artificial gravity, reflecting concepts studied by real aerospace engineers.
    Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • For instance, if a textbook bores you, try watching a documentary!
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The invasive beetle bores into wood and kills ash trees by eating tissues under the bark.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • In reaction against the waste of life and ill-success of Mazzini’s program, moderate opinion tended to crystallize around federal conceptions of the solution of the Italian problem.
    Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • As the oil blockade quickly exhausts Cuba’s supply of fuel, triggering a series of lengthy, island-wide blackouts, many here are exhausted and are becoming increasingly vocal about their desire for fundamental changes in Cuba.
    Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
  • 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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“Stereotypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stereotypes. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.

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