Link Centre Dictionary

stereotype

ste·reo·type

UK/ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/ US/ˈstɪə.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/ uncommon rare

noun

1.

a conventional or formulaic conception or image

  • “regional stereotypes have been part of America since its founding”

verb

1.

treat or classify according to a mental stereotype

  • “I was stereotyped as a lazy Southern European”

Origin

Borrowed from French stéréotype (adjective), equivalent to stereo- + type. Printing sense is from 1817; the “conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image” sense is recorded from 1922 in Walter Lippmann’s book Public Opinion.

Phrases

  • stereotype tax
  • stereotype threat

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.