stereotypes 1 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
The supporting cast is comfortable in the age-old stereotypes thrust upon them and eager to place their own stamps on the roles. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026 The episode is replete with racist tropes and stereotypes, made all the worse by the fact that it's all presented as an unserious Halloween treat. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026 For decades, African football has faced criticism and skepticism, often based on unfounded racial stereotypes. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 Too often, stereotypes about Africa lead us to treat players like Mane as outliers rather than as embodiments of the continent’s spirit. — Jeremy Ebobisse, Time, 26 June 2026 Professionals must move beyond cultural stereotypes, viewing colleagues as unique individuals. — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 As Barthel and other cannabis scholars say, the federal and state government crackdowns over the past century fueled the negative stereotypes and were always more grounded in culture wars than in evidence of medical harm. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 White minstrel musicians would either commercialize Black culture (a pattern that persists in popular music) or else perform exaggerated stereotypes of it. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith’s screenplay is littered with exaggerated stereotypes just waiting to be boisterously subverted. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 June 2026
Verb
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 In their scenes together, Ahmed plays straight man so Khan can go huge, all breezy confidence and street smarts combined as a defense against the countless stereotypes the bearded, accented, proudly Muslim Zulfi must face every day. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 May 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stereotypes
  1. notions
  2. overuses
  3. concepts
  4. bores
  5. conceptions
  6. exhausts
Noun
  • Similar to the original film, Elle learns to leave behind some of the preconceived notions that her rich upbringing gave her and embrace authenticity.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026
  • Enlightenment figures, such as John Locke, also advanced notions of separation of church and state.
    — Steven K. Green, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of notions
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
Definition of overuses
Noun
  • The top floors, 19 and 20, are dedicated to four additional dining concepts.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
  • There are also new concepts at the AquaDome Market food hall, including Seoulmate – get the bulgogi bowl with marinated beef – and a new Chief Dog Officer named Skipper.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of concepts
Verb
  • The caterpillar bores into the stem through a tiny hole and tunnels inside the plant destroying tissue.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 17 June 2026
  • For instance, if a textbook bores you, try watching a documentary!
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
Definition of bores
Noun
  • The thread of citizen rights and responsibilities weaves through each of these, uniting evolving conceptions of freedom, self-government, and individual achievement from the nation’s past through to its present.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2026
  • Thus, the cisgendered body and heterosexuality are a dynamic instead of a foundation to our conceptions of Black motherhood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Definition of conceptions
Verb
  • Watching this scene, and much of the film, exhausts me.
    — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026
  • If the search for a large outdoor planter exhausts you—just get a terra-cotta planter.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of exhausts

Browse Nearby Words

stereotyped
stereotypes
stereotyping
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stereotypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stereotypes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on stereotypes

Nglish: Translation of stereotypes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All