stereotypical

adjective

ste·​reo·​typ·​i·​cal ˌster-ē-ə-ˈti-pi-kəl 

1

or less commonly stereotypic

ˌster-ē-ə-ˈti-pik 

: conforming to a fixed or general pattern or type especially when of an oversimplified or prejudiced nature : of, relating to, or constituting a stereotype

Charlie Stuart represents a new breed of motorcyclists who are erasing the stereotypical black-leather-jacket, tough-guy image that plagued motorcyclists since the violent Hollywood productions of the Fifties.

—Sue Browder

His book concedes that progress has been made in a sheerly numerical sense, but it argues that overall the black presence on television has been an endless recycling of a passel of injuriously stereotypical images.

—John McWhorter

2

or stereotypic : of, relating to, or marked by stereotypy

a

medical : characterized by frequent repetition of the same, typically purposeless movement, gesture, posture, or vocal sound or utterance

Other stereotypical behaviors such as hand flapping and chewing on clothing or objects may be connected to sensory processing problems or anxiety.

—Cori Urban

… periodic leg movements during sleep, commonly known as nocturnal myoclonus—rapid, stereotypic, and periodic flexion of the legs and feet associated with repeated awakenings throughout the night.

—Patricia N. Prinz et al.

b

veterinary medicine : characterized by abnormal repetitive behavior

Many animals cope with unstimulating or small environments through stereotypic behavior … such as pacing, bar biting …

—Laura Smith

stereotypically

ˌster-ē-ə-ˈti-pi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

She wanted her staff to work together and get along. So on a hot July night, Katharine Graham did a stereotypically female thing: She threw a party.

—Judith M. Havemann

Examples of stereotypical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Elmore recalled a time when, in almost stereotypical fashion, Elmore's son and Flaherty's 9-year-old son Geoffrey attempted to remove the heads from the Barbie dolls of Flaherty's 7-year-old daughter Amanda. —James Powel, USA Today, 2 May 2025

Fimmel digs into the more stereotypical gruff bounty hunter with relish, though the character itself is a western staple. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 1 May 2025

At 6 feet, 4 inches and 222 pounds with a 4.48 40 time, Williams looks like your stereotypical outside receiver who can win with speed and also corral jump balls. —Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Californians’ accents are complex and understudied The stereotypical sounding Californian is widely known, but actual research into our state’s accents is relatively new, Mendoza-Denton said. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stereotypical

• prototypical
• atypical
• untypical
• typical

Medical Definition

stereotypical

adjective

ste·​reo·​typ·​i·​cal ˌster-ē-ə-ˈtip-i-kəl 

variants or stereotypic

-ik 

: of, relating to, or marked by stereotypy:

a

: characterized by frequent repetition of the same, typically purposeless movement, gesture, posture, or vocal sound or utterance

Other stereotypical behaviors such as hand flapping and chewing on clothing or objects may be connected to sensory processing problems or anxiety.

—Cori Urban

… periodic leg movements during sleep, commonly known as nocturnal myoclonus—rapid, stereotypic, and periodic flexion of the legs and feet associated with repeated awakenings throughout the night.

—Patricia N. Prinz et al.

b

veterinary medicine : characterized by abnormal repetitive behavior

Many animals cope with unstimulating or small environments through stereotypic behavior … such as pacing, bar biting, and Gus' figure-eight swimming.

—Laura Smith

stereotypically

ˌster-ē-ə-ˈtip-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb