Meaning & use
stereotypical
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Based on a fixed, oversimplified idea that many people have about a type of person or thing.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after linking verbs like be, seem, or become; it can be graded (very stereotypical).
Patterns
- stereotypical of someone/something
- a stereotypical example of something
The movie's villain is a stereotypical criminal with a scar and a dark coat.
Her idea of a typical engineer was stereotypical and ignored how creative the job can be.
That view of teenagers is stereotypical and doesn't match most young people I know.
Word forms
| comparative | more stereotypical |
|---|---|
| superlative | most stereotypical |
Common combinations
- stereotypical view
- The book challenges the stereotypical view that women are not good at math.
- stereotypical image
- The advertisement used a stereotypical image of a happy housewife.
- highly stereotypical
- The characters in the play are highly stereotypical and lack depth.
- stereotypical of
- That kind of behavior is stereotypical of a certain age group.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clichéd
- Describes something that has become boring because it is used too often; stereotypical focuses more on unfair, oversimplified ideas about groups.
- formulaic
- Emphasizes following a fixed pattern or formula, often in stories or writing; stereotypical is more about social groups and prejudice.
- predictable
- Means easy to guess because it always happens the same way; stereotypical suggests the guess is based on a fixed image of a group.
Opposites
Word family
- stereotype noun
- A fixed, oversimplified idea about a group of people.
- stereotype verb
- To treat someone according to a fixed, oversimplified idea.
- stereotyping noun
- The act of using fixed, oversimplified ideas about groups.
Commonly confused: stereotypical or typical?
stereotypical vs typical
Typical means normal or usual for a person or thing; stereotypical means based on an unfair, oversimplified image. A typical day is just an ordinary day, not a judgment about a group.
Practice
The description of the country as all beaches and sunshine is ___ and ignores its busy cities.
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'stereotypical' fits because it describes an oversimplified image. 'Typical' would mean usual or normal, which doesn't carry the critical idea of a fixed, unfair image. 'Stereotyping' is a noun or verb form, and 'stereotype' is a noun or verb, not an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stereotypical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.