stereotype
verb
ste·reo·type
| \ Ëster-Ä-É-ËtÄ«p
, Ëstir-\
, Ëstir-\
stereotyped;
stereotyping;
stereotypes
Definition of stereotype
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to make a stereotype from
2a
: to repeat without variation : make hackneyed
b
: to develop a mental stereotype about
stereotype
nounDefinition of stereotype (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a plate cast from a printing surface
2
: something conforming to a fixed or general pattern
especially
: a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for stereotype
Synonyms: Verb
hackney, overexpose, overuse, vulgarize
Synonyms: Noun
concept, conception, generality, generalization, notion
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of stereotype in a Sentence
Verb
It's not fair to stereotype a whole group of people based on one person you don't like. movies have stereotyped the hooker with a heart of gold ad nauseamNoun
the stereotype of the absentminded professor the noble savage was a stereotype that appealed to 18th-century intellectuals, who viewed European civilization as decadent and corrupt
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Historically, black women have been stereotyped, marginalized, or altogether missing in these narratives. — Anne Showalter, Smithsonian, "The Fierce Pride and Passion of Rhinestone Fashion," 9 Aug. 2019 Children with more exposure to people of other races are less likely to stereotype and more likely to seek out diverse experiences as adults. — Erica Frankenberg, The Conversation, "What school segregation looks like in the US today, in 4 charts," 19 July 2019 In classic musicals, Kaats says, people of color and the LGBTQ community were excluded or stereotyped. — Kathy Berdan, Twin Cities, "Classic musical â42nd Streetâ revamped for new audiences at the Ordway," 18 July 2019 Regulators will consider the perspective of the group being stereotyped when deciding whether an ad should be allowed. — Billy Perrigo, Time, "The U.K. Just Banned 'Harmful Gender Stereotypes' in Advertising," 14 June 2019 So why not watch a show that celebrates immigrants instead of stereotyping them? — Emily Bloch, Teen Vogue, "Skip Trump's Prime-Time Immigration Address With 7 These Other Things You Can Watch Instead," 8 Jan. 2019 With the amount of work moms tend to shoulder at home, dads get a bad rap in the parenting department and are often stereotyped as the fun or lazy one. — Elyse Roth, Redbook, "Dad Wins the Internet Today With Message Proclaiming "I'm Not the Babysitter"," 17 May 2017 The performances would stereotype black men and women as ignorant, hypersexual, superstitious, lazy people who were prone to thievery and cowardice. — Jesse J. Holland, The Seattle Times, "Explaining the outrage: Racist history of American blackface began in the 1830s," 6 Feb. 2019 Asians in America have long been stereotyped as undistinguishable robotic automatons. — Michael Li, Vox, "I support affirmative action. But Harvard really is hurting Asian Americans.," 18 Oct. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
For Flahive and Mensch, the challenge was to find the depth in these stories while managing an unwieldy amount of characters and expositional detail, and to do it amid a hurricane of glitter, cultural stereotypes, and body slams. — Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, "In Season 3, âGLOWâ Raises the Stakes," 30 Aug. 2019 So the old stereotype of the college professor driving a Volvo may have to be revised, as Volvo offers few if any products in the Outback's market segments. — Larry Printz, Dallas News, "The 2020 Subaru Outback is a family hauling staple, even after six generations," 10 Aug. 2019 Their influence is not necessarily negative, though that is the stereotype: The powers of the popular crowd seem to work in service of beneficial behaviors too, like volunteering or helping classmates who are having a hard time. — Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, "âPopularâ Kids Arenât That Special," 8 Aug. 2019 While philosophers and historians have long debated the persistence of anti-Jewish stereotypes, Jewish comedians have been trying to undermine their peddlers with laughs. — Steve North, sun-sentinel.com, "Jewish comedians aim to deflate modern anti-Semitism with laughs," 18 July 2019 While plenty of the other folks in this production are cartoonish stereotypes, Falstaff is comparatively underplayed. — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, "A funny, slapstick âMerry Wives of Windsorâ from Capital Classics," 15 July 2019 There were very specific stereotypes and characteristics about gender that this generation doesnât have at all. — Yvette Orozco, Houston Chronicle, "Pearland all-girl Scouts BSA troop proud to blaze new trail," 10 July 2019 Sure, the role is one giant stereotype, but Mosley pulls it off with style, while also revealing layers of emotion that bring the character to life with honesty and conviction. — nola.com, "âKinky Bootsâ kicks up its musical heels at the Saenger," 15 June 2019 In the wake of growing hate crimes in America, Maha Elgenaidi, CEO of the Islamic Networks Group, referred to studies showing the incredibly negative stereotypes that many Americans had about Islam. — Anahita Mukherji, Quartz India, "A hate crime against an Indian-American unites Silicon Valleyâs Sunnyvale," 31 May 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stereotype.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for stereotype
stereotype
verb
English Language Learners Definition of stereotype
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same
stereotype
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of stereotype (Entry 2 of 2)
: an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic
See the full definition for stereotype in the English Language Learners Dictionary
stereotype
noun
ste·reo·type
| \ Ëster-Ä-É-ËtÄ«p
, Ëstir-
, Ëstir-