stereotype 1 of 2

as in concept
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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stereotype

2 of 2

verb

as in to overuse
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 stereotype
Noun
Slickcity Media is training AI to reimagine African stereotypes — their viral Elder Series challenged African aesthetics. Moky Makura, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025 In addition to breaking stereotypes around aging, the show also pushed boundaries with its sometimes risqué humor, which was considered daring for primetime in the 1980s. Ashley Hume , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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 This is, of course, a tremendously unfair characterization of the lunch lady, who, given her profession of feeding hungry children, ought to be stereotyped as saintly rather than monstrous. Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stereotype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stereotype
Noun
  • In 2020, however, Biglari’s criticism of Cracker Barrel was reignited after the company’s $133 million investment in Punch Bowl Social, a bar and entertainment concept, in 2019, failed during the pandemic.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
  • In his new concept, Metropolis, located at the World Trade Center campus, his team is made up entirely of women of color in leadership roles.
    Janee Bolden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Annabelle has been in so many movies now, to the point of being overused (the real doll has even been suspected of paranormal activity recently).
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The redemption story is overused in sports, but Anisimova coming back from a double-bagel Wimbledon final defeat against Iga Świątek to beat the same player a couple of months later was extraordinary.
    The Athletic Tennis Staff, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The notion of sketch comedy, of all things, as a guide to life, that its lack of a safety net is a metaphor for how to live, is niche and peculiar.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The bigger problem was that the new notions of the philosopher-revolutionaries didn’t actually work.
    Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • His versions were full-blooded, with lush strings and reasonably large orchestras — and, purists alleged — vulgarizing distortions.
    BostonGlobe.com, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2019
  • Ever since his rise to power, Trump has served as a vulgarizing agent.
    Leon Neyfakh, Slate Magazine, 2 June 2017
Noun
  • Since its conception, the festival has grown quickly over the years, drawing headline speakers such as Michelle Obama and Kara Swisher.
    Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Your conception of this novel is beautiful in its detail.
    Jane Ciabattari September 16, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The tunnel will be bored into rock 60 to 250 feet under the lakebed, using a tunnel boring machine that would progress 40 feet per day on average during construction.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • But most of the shows border on boring.
    Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Climate risk doesn’t live in theory.
    Sophia Mendelsohn, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The Florida Department of Education argued that HB 1069 is protected by Florida’s First Amendment right of government speech, a legal theory that the government has the right to prevent any opposing views to its own in schools or any government platform.
    James B. Blasingame, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The success of the album helped popularize the 12-inch LP in popular music.
    Paul Grein, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Perhaps no corporation has popularized low-iron and seamless glass in architecture more than the technology giant Apple.
    Aki Ishida, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stereotype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stereotype. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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