archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp How to pronounce archetype (audio)
1
: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : prototype
… the House of Commons, the archetype of all the representative assemblies which now meet …Thomas Babington Macaulay
also : a perfect example
He is the archetype of a successful businessman.
2
3
psychology : an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual
archetypal adjective
or less commonly archetypical
an archetypal English village
archetypally adverb
or less commonly archetypically

Did you know?

Archetype comes from the Greek verb archein ("to begin" or "to rule") and the noun typos ("type"). Archetype has specific uses in the fields of philosophy and psychology. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, for example, believed that all things have ideal forms (aka archetypes) of which real things are merely shadows or copies. And in the psychology of C. G. Jung, archetype refers to an inherited idea or mode of thought that is present in the unconscious of the individual. In everyday prose, however, archetype is most commonly used to mean "a perfect example of something."

Examples of archetype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In the current era, representing this old-school archetype had led to Pedranti being continuously called out and shamed by her co-stars for being irresponsible with money. Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024 The classic archetype has these magical beings cooking up spells of the occult variety, often for devious purposes. Clark Collis, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 And in much the same way Black Gatsby—who released his debut album, House of Gatsby, in 2022—has challenged character archetypes, he’s applied a kind of iconoclasm to his career. Alex Ross, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024 Aside from the pragmatic aspects of unlocking new archetypes, these character stories are some of the best facets of the game. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for archetype 

Word History

Etymology

Latin archetypum, from Greek archetypon, from neuter of archetypos archetypal, from archein + typos type

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of archetype was in 1545

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Dictionary Entries Near archetype

Cite this Entry

“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archetype. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

archetype

noun
ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp How to pronounce archetype (audio)
: the original pattern or model from which something is copied
archetypal adjective

Medical Definition

archetype

noun
ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp How to pronounce archetype (audio)
1
a
: a primitive generalized plan of structure deduced from the characters of a natural group of plants or animals and assumed to be the characteristic of the ancestor from which they are all descended
b
: the original ancestor of a group of plants or animals
2
: an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual
archetypal adjective

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