archetype
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.
(in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.
Origin of archetype
1Other words from archetype
- ar·che·typ·al, ar·che·typ·i·cal [ahr-ki-tip-i-kuhl], /ˌɑr kɪˈtɪp ɪ kəl/, ar·che·typ·ic, adjective
- ar·che·typ·al·ly, ar·che·typ·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with archetype
- archetype , prototype
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use archetype in a sentence
The Joker just has to come off as credibly, impressively, archetypally mad—as the latest role model for all other vicious madmen.
‘Batman’ Taught Accused Colorado Shooter James Holmes How to Be Crazy | Blake Gopnik | July 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTTAURUS Life now feels labyrinthine, which you are archetypally equipped to handle.
British Dictionary definitions for archetype
/ (ˈɑːkɪˌtaɪp) /
a perfect or typical specimen
an original model or pattern; prototype
psychoanal one of the inherited mental images postulated by Jung as the content of the collective unconscious
a constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc
Origin of archetype
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for archetype
[ (ahr-ki-teyep) ]
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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