stereotype
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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Printing.
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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.
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a plate made by this process.
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verb (used with object)
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to characterize or regard as a stereotype.
The actor has been stereotyped as a villain.
- Synonyms:
- typecast, label, categorize
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to give a fixed form to.
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Printing. to make a stereotype of.
noun
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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
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the plate so made
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another word for stereotypy
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an idea, trait, convention, etc, that has grown stale through fixed usage
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sociol a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly
verb
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to make a stereotype of
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to print from a stereotype
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to impart a fixed usage or convention to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stereotypesimple
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stereotypessimple
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have stereotypedperfect
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has stereotypedperfect
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am stereotypingprogressive
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are stereotypingprogressive
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is stereotypingprogressive
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have been stereotypingperfect progressive
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has been stereotypingperfect progressive
Past
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stereotypedsimple
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had stereotypedperfect
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was stereotypingprogressive
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were stereotypingprogressive
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had been stereotypingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stereotype
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.
Vocabulary lists containing stereotype
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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A Raisin in the Sun
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Achievement First 6th Grade IA 1 Words
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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.
See Examples For:
The roughly 3,000-person community belies South Dakota’s flat-plains stereotype, feeling closer to a western ski village than a Midwestern farm town.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
We laughed about how we embraced every stereotype - the sombreros, bright colours, all of it worn with humour and defiance, and how, as hosts, we gave warmth, laughter and generosity to the world.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The findings build on Levy’s stereotype embodiment theory.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
“We said, ‘Let’s push back against that stereotype as much as possible.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
This information wouldn’t excuse the crimes, but it might chip away at the stereotype by making a few of the incidents more understandable.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
An actress and documentary filmmaker, Siebel Newsom founded her production company to develop independent films with a focus on combating gender stereotypes and empowering girls and women.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The theory proposes that age-related stereotypes absorbed from society through sources such as social media and advertising can eventually become personally meaningful and have measurable biological effects.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
Siebel Newsom is a documentary filmmaker and founder of The Representation Project, an advocacy group that uses film to challenge gender stereotypes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The findings, from the Entertainment Software Association's annual Essential Facts report, challenge enduring stereotypes about who plays games while underscoring the industry's recovery from a post-pandemic slowdown.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
Social pressures, stereotypes, and changing attitudes and perspectives can inhibit inclusion and lead to exclusionary practice.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
"A lot of this comes down to shared problems that we have in the South Asian community of how South Asian boys and how South Asian girls might be stereotyped amongst football," she says.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
Conscientious employees are often stereotyped as disgruntled, mentally ill or troublemakers who are out for fame, profit or revenge.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2025
In a city that’s too often unjustly stereotyped as favoring the new, the Hollywood studio reminds us of how much history — and, specifically, pop-culture myth-making — is rooted in and around Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2024
POTENTE: It’s comparable to, in my mind, what a musician’s life might be like, like a rock star or a stereotyped idea of what that would be like.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
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 first “Zootopia” was not notable just for funny talking animals but also the fact that the funny animals were talking about bigotry and stereotyping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
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
This stereotyping of guards was particularly interesting to me.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
