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archetype

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ahrkihtyp

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɑɹkɪtaɪp

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned; a prototype.

  2. An ideal example of something; a quintessence.

  3. literature

    A character, object, or story that is based on a known character, object, or story.

verb

  1. To depict as, model using, or otherwise associate an object or subject with an archetype.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned; a prototype.

Used this way, archetype is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

mother archetypechild archetypefeminine archetypefather archetypefemale archetypecommon archetypejungian archetype

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: original model of which all other similar concepts

original

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.