1
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
2
as in original
something from which copies are made
Beowulf is considered by some scholars to be the archetype for medieval British heroic tales
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Recent Examples of archetype
This is fitting given the sign's archetype of the shaman, Montúfar says.
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Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
In Ireland, there’s an archetype of a deep-thinking, silent, intelligent man who doesn’t have the tools to express himself because at that time talking about yourself or your emotions or your difficulties was verboten.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Yours in chaos, Not Actually Cruella *** Dear Not Actually Cruella,
Families have a remarkable ability to reduce even the most accomplished among us to archetypes: the hero, the villain, the one who brings weird pies.
—Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2024
And while her tendency to deviate from what’s considered professional is a major archetype of her personality, there’s much more to Ava that other people in leadership roles can learn from.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archetype 
Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
In Ireland, there’s an archetype of a deep-thinking, silent, intelligent man who doesn’t have the tools to express himself because at that time talking about yourself or your emotions or your difficulties was verboten.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Yours in chaos, Not Actually Cruella *** Dear Not Actually Cruella,
Families have a remarkable ability to reduce even the most accomplished among us to archetypes: the hero, the villain, the one who brings weird pies.
—Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2024
And while her tendency to deviate from what’s considered professional is a major archetype of her personality, there’s much more to Ava that other people in leadership roles can learn from.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
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These projects breathed new life into the U.S. conservation movement, the forerunner of today’s climate activism.Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 2020
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Embrace change, become a forerunner and refuse to let emotional interference deter productivity.Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In any case, as someone that has played and finished every Armored Core game since the 1997 original, the fact that this episode exists is still momentous and wonderful for me.Ollie Barder, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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The cemetery was designed to pay homage to Resurrection Cemetery from the original.Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Vallée de Farney is a nature preserve located in the untouched forests of Mauritius—where the founder’s ancestor was exiled during the French Revolution.Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
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Eisenberg wanted to convey the irony of yearning to connect with your ancestors’ pain while being unwilling to experience — or even confront — any discomfort while doing so.Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Today’s prototype quantum computers are too error-prone to do anything useful.Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
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The technology is based on the early prototypes of Jeanologia’s H2Zero technology.Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Poor sleep is associated with insulin resistance (cells do not respond to insulin to take in blood glucose for energy, causing blood sugar levels to rise), which may be the precursor to prediabetes (having blood sugar levels that are not quite high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes).Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 16 Dec. 2024
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The last time the Democratic Party faced this scale of electoral defeat was also the precursor to its greatest twenty-first-century success.Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Fisherman Aesthetic Trend Oceanic influences have served as an endless source of inspiration.Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 17 Dec. 2024
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The Harris team’s ask was a simple one, sources familiar with the incident told Forbes.Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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