archetypal
adjective
of or having the nature of an archetype, or original model or prototype.
archetypical
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a variation of
archetypal.
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a word derived from
archetype.
archetypenounthe 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.
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.
Wolfhard, a true-blue music nerd, has been described online as an archetypical example of the “child of a Gen X cool dad,” in the same vein as Olivia Rodrigo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Boritt, a Hungarian refugee who became an influential historian of two archetypical American subjects—Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War—died on Feb. 2 in Chambersburg, Pa. He was 86.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
When I spy Lis Smith—veteran of presidential campaigns run by Pete Buttigieg, Martin O’Malley, and Obama, former girlfriend of Eliot Spitzer, and archetypical D.C. swamp resident—I can’t help but ask for a selfie.
From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2025
With his Buzz Lightyear-like square jaw and clean cut appearance, he comes across as the archetypical heroic astronaut.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
Neanderthals are often depicted in caricatures as the archetypical brutish and stupid ‘cave people’, but recent evidence has changed their image.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
