stereotype
Americannoun
-
stereotypes
plural
-
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.
-
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.
-
Printing.
-
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.
-
a plate made by this process.
-
verb (used with object)
-
stereotypes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stereotyped,
past participle, past
-
stereotyping
present participle
-
to characterize or regard as a stereotype.
The actor has been stereotyped as a villain.
- Synonyms:
- typecast, label, categorize
-
to give a fixed form to.
-
Printing. to make a stereotype of.
noun
-
-
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
-
the plate so made
-
-
another word for stereotypy
-
an idea, trait, convention, etc, that has grown stale through fixed usage
-
sociol a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly
verb
-
-
to make a stereotype of
-
to print from a stereotype
-
-
to impart a fixed usage or convention to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
stereotypesimple
-
stereotypessimple
-
have stereotypedperfect
-
has stereotypedperfect
-
am stereotypingprogressive
-
are stereotypingprogressive
-
is stereotypingprogressive
-
have been stereotypingperfect progressive
-
has been stereotypingperfect progressive
Past
-
stereotypedsimple
-
had stereotypedperfect
-
was stereotypingprogressive
-
were stereotypingprogressive
-
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)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Raisin in the Sun
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Achievement First 6th Grade IA 1 Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Legacy preferences have fed a stereotype of USC as a college for the wealthy and well connected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
She dismantled the stereotype by showing them the science of what she does.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Rosval pushed directly against the stereotype of the angry, aggressive chef who treats the kitchen like a battlefield.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Hipsters war have now been usurped by a new stereotype: the tech bro.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
He desperately didn’t want to seem like exactly what he appeared to be just then: a stereotype.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Wiseman says the show has yet to specifically talk about Bram Stoker’s bloodthirsty Count Dracula, but Port says the Halloween episode will discuss the coven’s distaste for vampire stereotypes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Gen Z women are "leading the charge in challenging gendered DIY stereotypes", according to a 2024 report by B&Q.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Think of certain stereotypes about Germany, and think again.
From BBC ● 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
I knew that making the Olympic team was the best way I, as a Muslim American athlete, could help dismantle stereotypes and provide a vision of hope and inspiration.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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
On BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show, Jessie Hewitson, Director of NeuroUniverse, said people with autism "have been stereotyped since the dawn of time".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 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
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
King may have embraced direct action, but in the early 1960s he was still very much the product of his black middle-class upbringing, and he would occasionally lash out against stereotyped lower-class behaviors.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
For years, campuses taught students to recognize prejudice and the dangers of stereotyping minorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
“Anybody who moves into any neighborhood can be a safety issue. You can’t be stereotyping just ‘cause it’s an RV park.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
Baxter abolished gender stereotyping before the phrase was invented.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
I even had people who were the victims of stereotyping describe the dangers of labeling groups of people.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
