stereotype

American  

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

noun

• stereotypes
  plural

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  

/ ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪp, ˌstɪər-, 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

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stereotypes
  plural

Participles

• stereotyping
  present
• stereotyped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stereotype
  simple
• stereotypes
  simple
• have stereotyped
  perfect
• has stereotyped
  perfect
• am stereotyping
  progressive
• are stereotyping
  progressive
• is stereotyping
  progressive
• have been stereotyping
  perfect progressive
• has been stereotyping
  perfect progressive

Past

• stereotyped
  simple
• had stereotyped
  perfect
• was stereotyping
  progressive
• were stereotyping
  progressive
• had been stereotyping
  perfect progressive

Future

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

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Etymology

Origin of stereotype

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

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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

See Examples For:

stereotype stereotypes stereotyped stereotyping

The Simpsons' Apu: 'A stereotype hiding in plain sight'

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Rosval pushed directly against the stereotype of the angry, aggressive chef who treats the kitchen like a battlefield.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Tall, lanky and unassuming, his apartment fits the stereotype of a hard-driving, even obsessive investigator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Everyone knows the outdated and offensive characterization of a cat lady — a stereotype conjuring images of solitude, eccentricities and probably cartons of ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Manny goes on: “I know that’s a stereotype or whatever, but I've literally never experienced anything else. My folks are all excited about me going to Morehouse next year, but I'm nervous as hell.”

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

What’s it like being able to impart some of the truth about Iranian culture in ways that can dismantle stereotypes that have been fed to Americans or what we see on the news?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Whiteman also highlights the value of existing programmes such as "Primary Futures", which bring in volunteers from different professions into schools to "challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The hit man’s quest to track down nursing mothers lends “Your Mother” a peculiar but propulsive forward momentum while neatly indicting the macho stereotypes that usually accompany such action movies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Elsewhere representations of women cleave to gender stereotypes focusing on their roles in home and their clothing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Well, actually it’s a tale of how one woman, with an blind eye to stereotypes, had the eraser that took “National Spokesperson for the Plight of Black People” off my forehead.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

What the reporting revealed was a continuing debate over whether Gen Z is everything from coddled to unfairly stereotyped and how it will fare at work in the future.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Autistic people are often stereotyped as unable to read other people, Morgan said, but neurotypical people often have just as hard a time accurately interpreting an autistic person’s emotional state.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

But he was turned down for the part of Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate because director Mike Nichols felt he was too good-looking - which made Redford wary of being stereotyped by his appearance.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025

Eating disorders are themselves understudied within the mental health field, where conditions like anorexia have incorrectly been stereotyped as only affecting teenage girls.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2025

Straightway a meeting was called among the colored people, under the stereotyped notice, “Business of importance!”

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass

The researchers found that buying into these false beliefs increased gender stereotyping and was associated with reduced support for pay equity policies.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

The triumphs of the civil-rights movement made many overt forms of anti-Jewish discrimination illegal, but laws could not eliminate bigotry and stereotyping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

The public must "stand together against hatred and extremism", she said, and urged those in positions of influence to "consider how their language risks stereotyping communities and how it unduly influences discussions online and offline".

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025

Instead, aim for “accurate disagreement” by focusing on curiosity and reducing criticism, inflammatory language and stereotyping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024

This stereotyping of guards was particularly interesting to me.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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