archetypes

noun

plural of archetype
1
as in forerunners
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed the abacus is sometimes cited as the archetype of the modern digital calculator

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in originals
something from which copies are made Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales

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 archetypes Real Social pulls inspiration from archetypes and stereotypes. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Her settings tend to be a little vague, her protagonists more archetypes than individuals. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 In keeping with The Traitors’ Clue-like aesthetic, casting specifically sought out applicants with jobs that slotted them into murder-mystery archetypes. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026 Matthew’s three kids are just TV archetypes, rarely resembling real people at all. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 During the war, Pavese immersed himself in Greek tragedy, as well as the anthropological writings of Frazer and Lévy-Bruhl, Freud on childhood and the narrative technique of dreams, and Jung on the archetypes of the collective unconscious. — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 In the same way that somebody brings something to a new Harry Potter series or a James Bond or something of that nature that has a kind of cyclical storytelling element with different repeating archetypes. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 The plots aren’t particularly developed or surprising, and the characters are written more as archetypes than as real people. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 For one thing, archetypes are by definition reductive, and there are plenty of people around here who are older, or parents, or retired, or indifferent to the bar scene, or all of the above. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetypes
  1. forerunners
  2. originals
  3. ancestors
  4. prototypes
  5. precursors
  6. sources
  7. examples
Noun
  • Rather than try to replicate his forerunners’ styles of success, Ternus has so far played to his own strengths—which are also those of Apple, a company that first and foremost builds beautiful products that spark productivity, creativity, and joy.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • While today’s cinema listings are crammed with sequels and remakes, with the watching experience couched in discourse and then discourse about the discourse, the best ’90s films were for the most part true originals.
    — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of swapping in cheaper versions on the low, a lot of shoppers are openly recommending their finds and lining them up next to the originals.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of originals
Noun
  • The ancestors of today’s trees are some 20,000 times older than the oldest cities.
    — Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That would mean their ancestors had already reached the continent before the split occurred.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • Federal policy now allows businesses to deduct domestic research costs immediately, leaving more capital available for engineers, prototypes, and equipment.
    — Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • De Jong began building prototypes and models in Los Angeles with her construction coordinator Jonas Kirk.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of prototypes
Noun
  • The three have also introduced tax plans that could be precursors to 2028 platforms.
    — Jared Ochacher, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Kiwi Light enough not to burden digestion, kiwi contains natural serotonin precursors and some research links it to faster sleep onset.
    — Patsy Anthony, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of precursors
Noun
  • Many of the office’s attorneys, particularly in its misdemeanor corps, work with basement-level spirits, according to one of the sources.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Last month, citing anonymous sources, Reuters reported that Solidigm was holding pitch meetings with investment banks for an IPO that could value the company at up to $150 billion.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sources
Noun
  • The world’s highest-profile tech billionaires offer the most conspicuous examples.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The original plan for 25 street-legal M6 GTs was eventually altered to 50 examples due to FIA requirements, but production never came to fruition, derailed by the 32-year-old McLaren’s death during testing at Goodwood in 1970.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of examples

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archetype
archetypes
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Cite this Entry

“Archetypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetypes. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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