Archetype Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms archetype American [ahr-ki-tahyp] / ˈɑr kɪˌtaɪp /

noun

1. the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.

2. (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.

archetype British / ˈɑːkɪˌtaɪp /

noun

1. a perfect or typical specimen

2. an original model or pattern; prototype

3. psychoanal one of the inherited mental images postulated by Jung as the content of the collective unconscious

4. a constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 archetype Cultural

1. An original model after which other similar things are patterned. In the psychology of Carl Jung, archetypes are the images, patterns, and symbols (see also symbol) that rise out of the collective unconscious and appear in dreams, mythology, and fairy tales.

Usage

What does archetype mean? An archetype is an original model that other things of the same kind will copy or be based on, as in The company’s 2007 product would be the archetype that all its later models would be based on.The word archetype is also used in Jungian psychology to refer to unconscious thoughts or symbols that seem to be universal, as in Loki and Pan are two of the Trickster archetype that appear in ancient mythology.An archetype as an original model is very similar to a prototype, which also refers to an original design or model. However, an archetype is sometimes used to specifically mean that something is considered to be the best, something that all similar things should strive to be. A prototype, on the other hand, may be unfinished or flawed. Things that are based on the prototype as an example may be quite different from it in the end.In psychology, archetype is specifically from the theories of psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jung theorized that all humans unconsciously share certain thoughts or images that are expressed in fairy tales and mythology. For example, many cultures have similar ideas of what a hero is even though they never shared the idea with each other. That similar idea is called an archetype, and the hero in a story would be a specific archetype.Based on Jung’s usage, archetype is often used similarly to the word trope or stereotype to refer to a recurring theme or an element that constantly reappears in art, as in The character was a classic example of the grizzled veteran cop archetype.The adjective form of archetype is both archetypal and archetypical, as in In this story, the wise old man is an archetypal messiah figure.Example: The award-winning film would become the archetype for the genre that many following films would try to duplicate.

Other Word Forms

• archetypal adjective
• archetypally adverb
• archetypic adjective
• archetypical adjective
• archetypically adverb

Etymology

Origin of archetype

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin archetypum “an original,” from Greek archétypon “a model, pattern,” neuter of archétypos “of the first mold,” equivalent to arche- + type

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On a surface level, I think Brontë created an archetype that has lived on — the brooding, possessive self-made man type.

From Los Angeles Times

The visuals, the action and the character archetypes were enough to figure things out and enjoy what you saw.

From The Wall Street Journal

Somehow we keep coming back to the other revolutions, especially the second—the rise of the rails—as our archetypes.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s an assembly of archetypes going through the motions, snow falling and lights twinkling all the while.

From The Wall Street Journal

Were you thinking in terms of archetypes when casting?

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.