archetype

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Academic

n. a perfect or most typical example of a certain type of person or thing.

n. the most representative or quintessential example of a category.

“He is the archetype of a successful businessman: hardworking, smart, and very competitive.”

“In many ways, the small coastal village remains the archetype of traditional Mediterranean life, largely untouched by modern tourism.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Theater Academic

n. a type of character or story that appears again and again in books and films.

n. a recurring symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology that represents universal patterns of human nature.

“The 'hero' is a common archetype found in stories from every culture.”

“The author subverts the archetype of the 'wise old mentor' by making the character deeply flawed and unreliable.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Medicine Technical · Academic

n. an idea or image that all humans share in their minds, according to psychologist Carl Jung.

n. a primitive mental image inherited from the collective unconscious of the human race.

“Jung believed that the archetype of the 'mother' exists in everyone's unconscious mind.”

“Jungian analysis focuses on how these archetypes manifest in dreams and influence individual personality development.”

C2 · Proficiency Academic · Formal

v. to represent something as a typical example or model.

v. to model, depict, or categorize something according to a specific archetype.

“The director chose to archetype the villain as a cold, calculating machine.”

“Critics argued that the film tended to archetype its female characters rather than giving them unique personalities.”