1
as in original
something from which copies are made
Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the abacus is sometimes cited as the archetype of the modern digital calculator
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of archetype
In the 1970s, Elton John became the definitive pop-rock archetype.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026
Each of these archetypes serves a distinct narrative purpose.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
What may sound apocryphal—like an old man crafting a fiery archetype—has been verified by at least one notable fan.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Along the way, Jódar showed the tennis world that the old archetype of the Spanish men’s tennis player, the grinder who turns his opponents’ legs to goo over the course of an endless afternoon, may be dead and gone forever.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026
Each of these archetypes serves a distinct narrative purpose.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
What may sound apocryphal—like an old man crafting a fiery archetype—has been verified by at least one notable fan.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Along the way, Jódar showed the tennis world that the old archetype of the Spanish men’s tennis player, the grinder who turns his opponents’ legs to goo over the course of an endless afternoon, may be dead and gone forever.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
-
For an all-important sit-down dinner set inside Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper Museum, a team of Italian scenic painters—led by a woman who manages backdrops for an opera in Rome—built and painted a replica on a local soundstage that was about ¾ the size of the original.—
Mara Reinstein,
Architectural Digest,
1 May 2026
-
Michael Gracey, who counts the musical biopics Better Man and The Greatest Showman among his credits, is directing the feature, which, like the original, will have big musical elements.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Radio public affairs broadcasting is seen as a forerunner to television public affairs programming.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 May 2026
-
Hungary’s incoming premier today showed investors how austere he is compared to his forerunner.—
Jonathan Tirone,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Automakers, however, continue to use forms of dazzle camouflage to disguise prototype automobiles from other manufacturers and the media during testing.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 May 2026
-
The newest node prototype, called Ocean-3, is scheduled for testing in the northern Pacific Ocean later in 2026.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
The Declaration had many ancestors.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Hallmark’s Romance at Hope Ranch star Hogan will be taking on the role of Grayson Goodwin in the new season, portraying a descendant of one of Port Haven’s founders, Cyrus Goodwin, and an ancestor of Casey Goodwin.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
At least three rounds were fired, sources said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
The science of acoustic fire suppression, which has long been known and documented in scientific literature and the press, works by vibrating oxygen molecules away from a fuel source, depriving the fire of a critical component needed for combustion.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Typically, full contact is the precursor to an injured player’s return to game action.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
To address this, researchers added a two-dimensional perovskite and formamidinium chloride to the precursor solution.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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