stereotype 1 of 2

as in concept
an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation the noble savage was a stereotype that appealed to 18th-century intellectuals, who viewed European civilization as decadent and corrupt

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stereotype

2 of 2

verb

as in to overuse
to use so much as to make less appealing Movies have stereotyped the domineering mother-in-law ad nauseam.

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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 stereotype
Noun
In the February 1984 issue: Latin America: A media stereotype Over time, Vargas Llosa realized that this kind of reflexive leftism was naive. Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025 Scarred by infighting, the insecure NBC show eventually became a hate-watch for many and had all kinds of stereotypes, from diva catfights to sleazy directors to avaricious personal assistants. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
In many cases, Bungalow Belt dwellers resented being stereotyped for expressing fears for which others are given a pass. Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025 Millennials have been stereotyped since, well, the turn of the century. Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stereotype
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stereotype
Noun
  • But is this really a new concept, or just a rebranding?
    Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
  • And now, the time was ripe to take its concept on the road.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Pros: Great for type 3 and 4 hair, has nourishing oils Cons: May dry out hair if overused Key Ingredients: Green tea, aloe Size: 7.8 oz.
    Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Prioritizing Style Over Substance Avoid prioritizing style over substance—like overusing industry jargon or relying too much on emojis.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Yes, the notion that a good tackle might fall is a big if.
    Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The development reinforces the notion that Nvidia — the driving force of the generative AI boom on Wall Street for the past two years, turning in extraordinary sales, profit and share-price growth during that time — finds itself in an increasingly precarious moment.
    Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His versions were full-blooded, with lush strings and reasonably large orchestras — and, purists alleged — vulgarizing distortions.
    BostonGlobe.com, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2019
  • Ever since his rise to power, Trump has served as a vulgarizing agent.
    Leon Neyfakh, Slate Magazine, 2 June 2017
Noun
  • Primary care physicians know that every American has a stake in our health care system from the moment of conception until the last heartbeat and every day in between.
    Primary care physicians, Hartford Courant, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Kylee Pucci is a six-time egg donor and has a unique relationship with her biological daughter Comments Egg donation provides families with the chance to experience parenthood when natural conception isn't possible.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The real struggle was getting reacquainted with being bored.
    Andrew Mambo, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
  • This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.
    Art Spiegelman, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • That’s just a theory, not a spoiler or even a prediction.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The site goes on to advance the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab and undermines Trump’s political rivals like Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo.
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; Matthias Balk/Getty Images Starting today, Bluesky is rolling out a new verification system, complete with the familiar blue check marks popularized by Twitter.
    Kate Knibbs, Wired News, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Believed to have originated in 15th-century Italy as a card game used by nobility, the original deck was expanded and popularized by 18th-century French occultists; and again later in the 20th century, when modern tarot was born thanks to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, published in 1909.
    Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stereotype.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stereotype. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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