stereotype

American  

[ster-ee-uh-tahyp, steer-] / ˈstɛr i əˌtaɪp, ˈstɪər- /

noun

1. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.

   Cowboys and Indians are American stereotypes.

2. a set form; convention.

   Most important for lexicographers are the idiomatic stereotypes whose meaning cannot be inferred from knowledge of the meanings of the individual items.

3. Printing.

   1. a process, now often replaced by more advanced methods, for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mâché or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.

   2. a plate made by this process.

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verb (used with object)

stereotypes, present (3rd person singular) stereotyped, past participle, past stereotyping present participle

1. to characterize or regard as a stereotype.

   The actor has been stereotyped as a villain.

   Synonyms:

   typecast, label, categorize

2. to give a fixed form to.

3. Printing. to make a stereotype of.

stereotype British  

/ ˌstɛrɪə ˈtɪpɪk, ˌstɪər-, ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪp, ˈstɪər- /

noun

1. 1. a method of producing cast-metal printing plates from a mould made from a forme of type matter in papier-mâché or some other material

   2. the plate so made

2. another word for stereotypy

3. an idea, trait, convention, etc, that has grown stale through fixed usage

4. sociol a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly

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verb

1. 1. to make a stereotype of

   2. to print from a stereotype

2. to impart a fixed usage or convention to

stereotype ¹ Cultural  

1. A too-simple and therefore distorted image of a group, such as “Football players are stupid” or “The English are cold and unfriendly people.”

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stereotype ² Cultural  

1. A generalization, usually exaggerated or oversimplified and often offensive, that is used to describe or distinguish a group.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stereotypist
  noun
• stereotypic
  adjective
• stereotyper
  noun
• stereotypical
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has stereotyped
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have stereotyped
  perfect
• is stereotyping
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are stereotyping
  progressive
• am stereotyping
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been stereotyping
  perfect progressive
• has been stereotyping
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• stereotyping
  participle
• stereotypes
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had stereotyped
  perfect
• were stereotyping
  progressive plural
• stereotyped
  simple
• was stereotyping
  progressive singular
• had been stereotyping
  perfect progressive
• stereotyped
  participle

Future

• will stereotype
  simple
• will have stereotyped
  perfect
• will be stereotyping
  progressive
• will have been stereotyping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stereotype

First recorded in 1790–1800; stereo- + -type

Explanation

A stereotype is a preconceived notion, especially about a group of people. Many stereotypes are rooted in prejudice — so you should be wary of them. You have probably heard stereotypes: commonly held ideas or preconceptions about specific groups. You most often hear about negative stereotypes, but some are positive — the stereotype that tall people are good at basketball, for example. One of many problems with any stereotype is that even if it's true in some cases, it's certainly not true in all cases.

Example Sentences

“We said, ‘Let’s push back against that stereotype as much as possible.’”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

“I would actively do everything in my power to go against every classic stereotype of what an Indian person is,” Buttar said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

She thinks there is a stereotype of what a prepper looks like, but in reality there is a spectrum.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

It’s not the stereotype on its own that is the problem, he says: “it’s the predicament that matters.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

What I kept forgetting, of course, was that high school was home to infinite cliches for a reason, and that Ocean was, in some ways, still inextricable from his own stereotype.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• pattern