stereotype

American  

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

noun

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)

stereotyped, stereotyping

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  

/ ˌstɛrɪə ˈtɪpɪk, ˌstɪər-, ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪp, 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

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

Etymology

Origin of stereotype

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

Example Sentences

But this pursuit of authenticity can end up reinforcing stereotypes.

From The Wall Street Journal

The "Speed Does Africa" tour has been watched around the world, with many praising it for helping to break stereotypes about the continent and showcasing numerous African cultures to the world.

From BBC

He desperately didn’t want to seem like exactly what he appeared to be just then: a stereotype.

From Literature

Traitors finalist Jack Butler has revealed he planned to use Essex stereotypes to get ahead in the hit BBC One show.

From BBC

Nowhere is that more evident than in Italy’s central and northern regions, where mountain cooking, preservation, and harsh winter shaped a cuisine far removed from the checkered-tablecloth stereotype.

From Salon

Related Words

• pattern