Type A
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a pattern of behavior characterized by competitiveness, a sense of urgency, impatience, perfectionism, and assertiveness, and possibly associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
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of or relating to a person who exhibits Type A behavior.
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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.
Nasa has labelled the botched 2024 Starliner mission, which left two astronauts stranded in space for months, a "Type A" mishap, on par with fatal shuttle disasters of the past, in a newly published report.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Moderna held a Type A meeting—an urgent regulatory meeting—with the FDA after the agency last week issued a “refusal-to-file” letter rejecting the vaccine candidate.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
Type A viruses typically produce more serious illness, particularly H3N2.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026
Death is not suited to the Type A personality.
From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025
He’d been vaccinated against B, and he didn’t do drugs, so that ruled out C. Type A was usually caused by drinking contaminated water or eating tainted food.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
