stereotype

[ ster-ee-uh-tahyp, steer- ]

noun

1. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group:

   Cowboys and Indians are American stereotypes.

2. a set form; convention:

   Most important for lexicographers are the idiomatic stereotypes whose meaning cannot be inferred from knowledge of the meanings of the individual items.

3. Printing.
   1. a process, now often replaced by more advanced methods, for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mâché or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.
   2. a plate made by this process.

verb (used with object)

, ster·e·o·typed, ster·e·o·typ·ing.

1. to characterize or regard as a stereotype:

   The actor has been stereotyped as a villain.

   Synonyms: typecast, label, categorize

2. to give a fixed form to.
3. Printing. to make a stereotype of.

stereotype

/ ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪp; ˌstɪər-; ˈstɪər-; ˌstɛrɪə ˈtɪpɪk /

noun

1. 1. a method of producing cast-metal printing plates from a mould made from a forme of type matter in papier-mâché or some other material
   2. the plate so made
2. See stereotypy
   another word for stereotypy
3. an idea, trait, convention, etc, that has grown stale through fixed usage
4. sociol a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly

verb

1. 1. to make a stereotype of
   2. to print from a stereotype
2. to impart a fixed usage or convention to

stereotype

¹

1. A too-simple and therefore distorted image of a group, such as “Football players are stupid” or “The English are cold and unfriendly people.”

stereotype

²

1. A generalization, usually exaggerated or oversimplified and often offensive, that is used to describe or distinguish a group.

Derived Forms

• ˈstereoˌtyper, noun
• stereotypic, adjective

Other Words From

• ster·e·o·typ·er ster·e·o·typ·ist noun
• ster·e·o·typ·i·cal ster·e·o·typ·ic [ster-ee-, uh, -, tip, -ik, steer-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stereotype¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; stereo- + -type

Example Sentences

Unlike the Tibetans or Muslim Uyghurs of its far west, China’s ethnic Mongol population has long been seen as pacified, content, and well-assimilated, fulfilling the stereotype of a “model minority” in a country bubbling with ethnic tensions.

From Quartz

It is imperative that we continue to battle the stereotypes and prejudices that prevent too many of us from making our best and highest contribution to our Republic.

From Fortune

Some workers were more likely to worry about stereotypes than others, whether because of their own innate fears or the actual prevalence of these attitudes in their work environments.

From Fortune

Science News has a long history covering race in America, including research on stereotypes and stigma, racial bias in research funding, and how the lack of diverse representation in clinical trials risks lives.

From Science News

Many of these biases arise out of stereotypes — simplified beliefs that may not be true.

From Science News For Students

Give this gorgeous book to that friend who fits the stereotype.

From The Daily Beast

A judge ruled that Black Piet indeed is a negative stereotype that infringes on the rights of black people in The Netherlands.

From The Daily Beast

But it often feels more like something from a Japanese stereotype than anything explicitly offensive.

From The Daily Beast

Our stereotype of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ is cocaine, nightclubs, and flapper girls.

From The Daily Beast

So why is that such a lingering stereotype in the way pop culture represents Hollywood?

From The Daily Beast

To look back, and to stereotype one bygone humour—what a hopeless thing!

From Project Gutenberg

The new edition, being printed from entirely new stereotype plates, is a great improvement upon former editions.

From Project Gutenberg

A new edition, brought down to the Present Time, and printed from entirely new stereotype plates.

From Project Gutenberg

This formed the matrix into which the molten metal was poured to make the stereotype plate, or die, for printing.

From Project Gutenberg

But that must be as it may; and if you think the acceptance dubious, it is much the better plan not to stereotype.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• pattern