archetypal

adjective

variants also archetypical
Definition of archetypalnext
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

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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

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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 For Corn, this misunderstanding is key to the painting’s success, allowing for endless adaptation of the archetypal form of two figures joined in union. — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Twenty-seven years later, the attack on a school in the Denver suburbs retains an archetypal mystique for generations of troubled young people. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026 Aside from electoral politics, the poll showed widespread uneasiness about the economy and the future in communities that have been seen as the archetypal birthplace of the American dream. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 There’s very archetypal dynamics between Ken and Ryu, and comedy can flow from that. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 The clubhouse looks more Soho House than an archetypal northern non-League clubhouse. — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Prada presented the skirt as a vocabulary, demonstrating the infinite possibilities that can emerge from an archetypal garment. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 Jones notes that actual letters found on Ball after his arrest, written to sustain the rebellion’s spirit, appeal to archetypal figures of the working land, including ploughmen like the one Garfield plays. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 11 Sep. 2026 The archetypical Jersey Guy, to Fallon, is John Cusack in Say Anything. — Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypal
  1. classic
  2. typical
  3. exemplary
  4. normal
  5. quintessential
  6. average
  7. paradigmatic
  8. standard
Adjective
  • The collection follows a very classic autumnal color palette, with speckles of burgundy, brown, khaki, and deep greens.
    — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Rooms Standard rooms are classic in look and feel with dark wood furniture and neutral fabrics, yet appointed with modern embellishments such as universal outlets and bedside light controls.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of classic
Adjective
  • However, the test took place entirely on urban roads in mild weather, conditions that favour EV efficiency and do not reflect typical highway driving or winter use.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The One Block Down x Air Max 95 OG Big Bubble Lux features a full premium leather upper, replacing all of the typical Air Max 95 materials including its signature synthetic suede and mesh.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of typical
Adjective
  • Setting the standard for luxury with exemplary service and culinary offerings, all at the heart of Santa Fe’s rich cultural center.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In 2023, Leslie Van Houten was granted parole and released after holding what many described as an exemplary record for decades behind bars.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of exemplary
Adjective
  • It's shot up from less than $97 at the start of the month on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Menopause is the normal part of a woman’s aging process that marks the end of her reproductive years.
    — Lyndon Haviland, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of normal
Adjective
  • Meyers’s movies are known for their cozy, quintessential California interiors, with bright, airy kitchens and gently sumptuous living rooms of white and cream.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Often referred to as the nation's quintessential bellwether state, Minas Gerais has historically been viewed as an important indicator of national election results.
    — David Unsworth , Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of quintessential
Adjective
  • But even just our average rainfall, that's typically when the lake recharges is during the winter and early spring.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But, sea level rise is pushing them higher and higher, and experts say these higher-than-usual tides offer a taste of what an average day could look like in decades to comes, when seas are a few feet higher.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of average
Adjective
  • The protagonist of a third paradigmatic example of the genre, José Eustacio Rivera’s La vorágine (The Vortex, Colombia, 1924), is not a landowner, but an urban poet swept into the violent world of the Amazonian rubber trade.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In the most American of stories, the Idaho potato, forming half of the paradigmatic American meal (a burger and fries), only became a paradigm when gold was discovered in Idaho in 1860.
    — Tamar Adler, Vogue, 3 June 2026
Definition of paradigmatic
Adjective
  • The service cost will be bundled into standard utility billing, though customer participation in sorting recyclables remains voluntary.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Fixing the problem Flexible substrates have uneven surface roughness and varying hydroxyl-group densities, making standard large-area printing techniques ineffective.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of standard

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archetypal
archetype
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Cite this Entry

“Archetypal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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