archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

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

: idea sense 4c

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

ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl 

adjective

or less commonly archetypical

ˌär-ki-ˈti-pi-kəl 

an archetypal English village

archetypally

ˌär-ki-ˈti-pə-lē 

adverb

or less commonly archetypically

ˌär-ki-ˈti-pi-k(ə-)lē 

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."

Synonyms

• ancestor
• antecedent
• daddy
• foregoer
• forerunner
• granddaddy
• grandaddy
• precursor
• predecessor
• prototype

Examples of archetype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Responding to a glossary of Christian European maternal iconography, Catlett replicated the Mother and Child archetype, initially premiered as a limestone carving for her master’s thesis in 1940, later as lithographs and sculptures in terra-cotta, wood, and black marble. —Shameekia Shantel Johnson, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024

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

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Kids Definition

archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

: the original pattern or model from which something is copied

archetypal

ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

archetype

noun

ar·​che·​type ˈär-ki-ˌtīp 

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

ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl 

adjective