archetype
noun
the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.
archetypes
-
pluralof archetype.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“And it’s just interesting to me that those archetypes are so rarely women and candidates of color.”
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The sessions went so well that Morali asked Willis to front the group, which adopted campy archetypes of masculinity — cop, cowboy and construction worker among them — in their stage costumes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Despite both athletes sharing similar racial backgrounds and first-generation immigrant experiences," Prof He says, "they have been cast as opposing archetypes in a narrative they didn't write".
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
The script, written by Bertie Brandes and Aidan Zamiri, who also directs, draws heavily on archetypes in a plot that sticks closely to the familiar artist-against-the-machine formula.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
This does not forbid us to ascribe the grace of his verse to an inward principle of poetry, which supplied him with archetypes of the beautiful and splendid to work by.
From English Critical Essays Nineteenth Century by Edmund David Jones
