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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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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of archetype Anderson follows Welles’s artistic boldness (Mr. Arkadin’s fractured narrative and idiosyncratic archetypes), but in his own visually eccentric way illustrates that spiritual quandary is not new to mankind’s experience. Armond White, National Review, 30 May 2025 But Lijn’s mechanized drama is a resolutely feminist one, a face-off between two cyborgs who both conjure and complicate the archetypes of the nature goddess and the murderous woman. Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025 As a child growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, Elliott Hundley formed his conception of how artists live based on cinematic archetypes of painters and sculptors roughing it in bohemian splendor in converted industrial spaces. Mayer Rus, Architectural Digest, 30 May 2025 But ensuring the right pieces come together still requires both a perspective on the business problems at hand as well as a deep understanding of data archetypes, research methodologies and statistics. Erin Tavgac, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for archetype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archetype
Noun
  • The forerunner of today’s sleek MacBook laptops was the PowerBook.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 June 2025
  • Frederick Ashton’s for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (the forerunner of the Royal Ballet) in 1952, with a resplendent Margot Fonteyn in the title role, put the ballet back into the mainstream repertory, though it wasn’t performed by the Royal from the mid-1960s to 2004.
    Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Like the 1929 original, the A50 Junior is a thing of true beauty, both in the air and on the ground.
    Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 6 June 2025
  • The sequel moves away from the pixelated look of the original as the developers have shifted to polygons for a more beautiful world.
    Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • Now is the time to stand up for every American’s First Amendment right to tell their story, to dissent from the government’s world view, to celebrate the resilience and fortitude of ancestors who fought for their rights and their culture in this country.
    John Leguizamo, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
  • Names carry the legacy of our ancestors, the history of our culture, and the desires of our parents.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • Kipyegon first tested concepts at the Nike research lab in Oregon and the team then sent her home with prototypes.
    Tim Newcomb, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • In 1994, Birkin sold the prototype at an auction for Association Solidarité Sida, a French AIDS charity.
    Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • By World Health Organization (WHO) standards established in 1994, this designates a person as having osteopenia — often a precursor to osteoporosis.
    Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
  • Leverton said trends like western, cottagecore, Americana and conservative styles of dress, in general, were precursors to where things were the U.S. presidential election was heading last year.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Climate change and shifting food sources are also causing species-wide population declines, the experts said.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 June 2025
  • Yerevan has since sought to diversify its defense sources, reducing arms imports from Russia to as low as 10 percent by 2024.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Archetype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archetype. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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