stereotypes 1 of 2

noun

plural of stereotype
as in notions
an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation the noble savage was a stereotype that appealed to 18th-century intellectuals, who viewed European civilization as decadent and corrupt

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stereotypes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stereotype
as in overuses
to use so much as to make less appealing Movies have stereotyped the domineering mother-in-law ad nauseam.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stereotypes
Noun
Research has shown that women with obesity earn about 6% less than thinner women for identical work and that people in larger bodies may also face discriminatory termination and negative stereotypes that can hinder hiring and career advancement. — Brittney McNamara, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026 Non-Asian parents in TV shows talked about this stuff all the time, yet my parents were living stereotypes. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 Envy and schadenfreude are two emotions that are readily associated with old anti-Jewish stereotypes, and could develop dynamics of their own. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 Whatever the intentions of those who named and promoted the facility, Alligator Alcatraz echoed a long tradition of using alligators in ways that have reinforced racist imagery and dehumanizing stereotypes. — The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026 One of the study’s most notable findings is that 96% of respondents want to see multiple generations represented on screen, largely because doing so reflects real-life relationships and helps break down stereotypes about age. — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Each one functions like a coarse grain of sand, eroding the certainties and stereotypes that harden racial discourse. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Known for his multifaceted career in television, film, stand-up and more, Lopez has constantly embraced his heritage and shattered stereotypes. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 It is considered to be a quintessential question asked to men to understand their perspectives on female stereotypes, comparing movie star Ginger to girl next door Mary Ann. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
In their scenes together, Ahmed plays straight man so Khan can go huge, all breezy confidence and street smarts combined as a defense against the countless stereotypes the bearded, accented, proudly Muslim Zulfi must face every day. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 May 2026 The Coalition for Faith and Media, in partnership with HarrisX, recently launched a research study that found 70% of Americans believe Hollywood stereotypes faith, while 82% say film and TV should prioritize portraying more accurate and complex portrayals of faith and religion. — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026 But while working mom and trad wife stereotypes reign online and in popular culture, many moms fall somewhere in between those two tropes. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025 These words have different meanings in the context of AAVE, some say, and using them in a way that appropriates or stereotypes certain people groups strips away the importance of the original definitions. — Mia Thurow, jsonline.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stereotypes
  1. notions
  2. overuses
  3. concepts
  4. bores
  5. conceptions
  6. exhausts
Noun
  • Questioning of potential jurors captured the difficult quest of trying to find those who don’t have preconceived notions about the killing, which has been plumbed in several documentaries and countless podcasts and social media videos.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Burden of Justice is a tense legal drama where personal lives, professional duties and shifting notions of right and wrong collide.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of notions
Verb
  • That’s important, since many people make the mistake—both in the gym and daily life—of shrugging their shoulders up to their ears, which overuses the upper traps and elevates the scapula.
    — Jenny McCoy, SELF, 25 Aug. 2025
Definition of overuses
Noun
  • For seven days, the Monterey Peninsula fills with historic racers, priceless classics, new hypercars, concepts and enough auction money to finance a small country.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • This will also be a good opportunity to introduce the concepts of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) as kids play with the blocks.
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of concepts
Verb
  • As its name suggests, the beetle bores into trees, drilling tunnels to create breeding galleries.
    — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The caterpillar bores into the stem through a tiny hole and tunnels inside the plant destroying tissue.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 17 June 2026
Definition of bores
Noun
  • Are such dichotomous conceptions of the novel mutually exclusive?
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
  • The thread of citizen rights and responsibilities weaves through each of these, uniting evolving conceptions of freedom, self-government, and individual achievement from the nation’s past through to its present.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2026
Definition of conceptions
Verb
  • That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 July 2026
  • Watching this scene, and much of the film, exhausts me.
    — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026
Definition of exhausts

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Cite this Entry

“Stereotypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stereotypes. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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