stereotype
gb/stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/ us/stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
B2
English
~ 6000
sztereotípia, megtestesült sztereotípia, két lábon járó sztereotípia, sztereotipizál, beskatulyáz, tömöntvény, sztereotip nyomólemez
NOUN
B2
1
sztereotípia
B2
Usage pattern:
a stereotype about/of [a group]
The movie relies on outdated stereotypes about immigrants.
A film elavult sztereotípiákra épít a bevándorlókkal kapcsolatban.
Many people still hold the stereotype that all programmers are antisocial.
Sokakban még mindig él az a sztereotípia, hogy minden programozó magának való.
Teachers are trying to combat gender stereotypes in the classroom.
That stereotype about teenagers being lazy is simply not true.
Media images can reinforce harmful racial stereotypes.
Learner examples
There is a stereotype that all rich people are selfish.
Él az a sztereotípia, hogy minden gazdag ember önző.
I do not like the stereotype of women as bad drivers.
Nem szeretem azt a sztereotípiát, hogy a nők rossz sofőrök.
We should question the stereotypes we see on TV.
This book breaks many stereotypes about old age.
That joke is based on a stereotype about lawyers.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'stereotype' to describe a single person instead of the fixed idea about a type of person. For example, saying *"He is a stereotype of Italians"* when they mean *"He fits the stereotype of Italians"* or *"He behaves in a stereotypical way."* Learners also sometimes confuse 'stereotype' with 'type'; 'type' is neutral, while 'stereotype' usually suggests an unfair or oversimplified idea.
Meaning
Fixed, oversimplified belief about a group
Collocations
racial stereotype
|gender stereotype
|cultural stereotype
|negative stereotype
|common stereotype
|challenge stereotypes
Synonyms
prejudice (Stresses an unfair negative attitude or judgment, while 'stereotype' can be neutral but is often negative.)
|
generalization (More neutral and academic; does not always imply unfairness the way 'stereotype' often does.)
Antonyms
open-mindedness (Describes a willingness to see people as individuals instead of using fixed ideas about groups.)
Themes
society
|identity
|politics
|communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A simple and fixed idea that many people have about a group of people, which often is not true for every person in that group.
A widely held, oversimplified and fixed idea about a particular type of person or group, often ignoring individual differences and often unfair or negative.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a stereotype of [a group]
With his surfboard and laid-back attitude, he is the stereotype of a California beach boy.
A szörfdeszkájával és laza hozzáállásával ő a kaliforniai szörfös srác megtestesült sztereotípiája.
She dresses like a walking stereotype of a rock star.
Úgy öltözik, mint egy rocksztár két lábon járó sztereotípiája.
In that show, every character is a high school stereotype.
He is such a stereotype of a hipster that it almost feels like a joke.
The villain is just a stereotype of a corrupt politician.
Learner examples
He is a stereotype of a serious lawyer.
Ő a komoly ügyvéd megtestesült sztereotípiája.
In that movie, the nerd is a walking stereotype.
Abban a filmben a kocka két lábon járó sztereotípia.
She is a stereotype of a busy New Yorker.
The boss in the story is just a stereotype.
I do not want to be a stereotype of my culture.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this use is always correct in formal writing. In careful or academic English, it is usually better to say *"He fits the stereotype of…"* or *"He is a stereotypical…"* instead of *"He is a stereotype."*
Meaning
Person who fits a stereotype
Collocations
be a total stereotype
|be such a stereotype
|a walking stereotype
|high school stereotype
|typical stereotype
Synonyms
cliché (Informal; suggests someone is very predictable or unoriginal, not always tied to social groups the way 'stereotype' is.)
|
caricature (Suggests an exaggerated or comic version of a type of person.)
Antonyms
individualist (Emphasizes someone who does not fit common types or group expectations.)
Themes
society
|identity
|relationships
|communication
Definition
A person who seems to be exactly like the usual stereotype of their group.
A person whose appearance, behavior, or lifestyle strongly matches a common stereotype.
VERB
C1
3
beskatulyáz
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] stereotypes [someone] as [adjective/noun]
It is unfair to stereotype all teenagers as irresponsible.
Igazságtalan minden tizenévest felelőtlennek beskatulyázni.
The ad stereotypes men as clueless about housework.
A reklám úgy sztereotipizálja a férfiakat, mintha fogalmuk sem lenne a házimunkáról.
She hates being stereotyped as the "angry Black woman."
We often stereotype older people as weak or fragile.
The article warns against stereotyping immigrants as criminals.
Learner examples
Do not stereotype people because of their clothes.
Ne skatulyázd be az embereket a ruhájuk alapján.
He felt hurt when his teacher stereotyped him as lazy.
Rosszul esett neki, amikor a tanára lustának skatulyázta be.
The film stereotypes women as only caring about love.
I try not to stereotype others when I meet them.
They stereotype older workers as slow and unable to learn.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the verb with the noun and say *"to make a stereotype someone"* instead of *"to stereotype someone."* Another mistake is using the wrong preposition: it is natural to say *"stereotype someone as lazy,"* not *"stereotype someone like lazy."*
Meaning
Judge someone using a stereotype
Collocations
stereotype someone as
|stereotype people
|be stereotyped as
|tend to stereotype
|stereotype women/men
Synonyms
label (Focuses on putting someone into a category; does not always imply group-based beliefs as strongly as 'stereotype'.)
|
profile (In social or police contexts, means judging based on group traits; more technical or specific than 'stereotype'.)
Antonyms
see as an individual (Describes the opposite behavior: focusing on the unique person, not the group stereotype.)
Themes
society
|identity
|emotions
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To decide what a person is like because of a stereotype about their group, instead of seeing them as an individual.
To unfairly or unthinkingly judge, describe, or treat a person based on stereotypes about a group they belong to.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
a stereotype plate of [text/image]
The newspaper used a stereotype of each page to speed up printing.
A lap minden oldalhoz tömöntvényt használt, hogy felgyorsítsa a nyomtatást.
Stereotype plates allowed printers to reuse pages without resetting the type.
A sztereotip nyomólemezek lehetővé tették a nyomdászok számára, hogy újraszedés nélkül újra felhasználják az oldalakat.
The museum displayed an old stereotype used for printing advertisements.
Before digital methods, books were often printed from stereotypes.
The printer cast a new stereotype from the original type forms.
Learner examples
Old newspapers were sometimes printed from metal stereotypes.
Régi újságokat néha fém tömöntvényekről nyomtattak.
A stereotype is a metal plate copy of a page of type.
A tömöntvény egy kiszedett oldal fém nyomólemez-másolata.
The museum shows how printers made stereotypes.
They used a stereotype instead of resetting the letters.
Today, printers do not usually need stereotypes.
Meaning
Metal printing plate copy
Collocations
stereotype plate
|stereotype process
|stereotype printing
|make a stereotype
|cast a stereotype
Synonyms
printing plate (General term; not all printing plates are stereotypes, which are specifically cast from a mold of type.)
Antonyms
movable type (Refers to individual letters used directly for printing, rather than a single solid plate copy.)
Themes
technology
|printing
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A metal plate used in old printing, made from a copy of arranged letters, so that many pages can be printed the same.
In traditional printing, a solid plate of metal made by casting from a mold of typeset text or images, used to print many identical copies.
Grammar
Dictionary form
stereotype
IPA
GB/stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
US/stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
Syllables & stress
ste - reo - type (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (ste)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: stereotype
- Plural: stereotypes
Verb
- Base: stereotype
- 3rd Person Singular: stereotypes
- Present Participle: stereotyping
- Past: stereotyped
Word family
Forms
stereotypes
noun
stereotyping
verb
stereotyped
verb
Core family
stereotypical
adjective
stereotypically
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
nonstereotypical
adjective
Expressions
be a stereotype
1/bˈi ə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
informal
Be just like the stereotype
To be very similar to the usual stereotype of a group.
Examples
- I know I am a stereotype, but I really do love coffee and laptops in cafés.
- He jokes that he is a stereotype of a boring accountant.
break the stereotype
1/bɹˈeɪk ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
Show a stereotype is not true
To behave or give examples that prove a common stereotype is not always true.
Examples
- She became a mechanic and broke the stereotype that women cannot do technical jobs.
- These stories help break the stereotype of Muslims as violent.
challenge the stereotype
1/t͡ʃˈælɪnd͡ʒ ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
Question and oppose a stereotype
To say or show that a stereotype is wrong or unfair.
Examples
- The campaign aims to challenge the stereotype of older people as weak.
- Her work challenges the stereotype that science is only for men.
fit the stereotype
1/fˈɪt ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
Match a common stereotype
To seem just like the usual stereotype of a group.
Examples
- He completely fits the stereotype of a shy computer nerd.
- She does not fit the stereotype of a typical politician at all.
go against the stereotype
1/ɡˈoʊ əɡˈɛnst ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
Behave differently from the stereotype
To act in a way that is not what people expect from the stereotype of your group.
Examples
- Her calm leadership goes against the stereotype of emotional teenagers.
- These examples go against the stereotype of small towns as closed-minded.
live up to the stereotype
1/lˈɪv ˈʌp tə ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
Act exactly like the stereotype
To act in a way that is exactly what people expect from a stereotype of your group.
Examples
- He really lives up to the stereotype of a forgetful professor.
- She refuses to live up to the stereotype of a quiet, polite girl.
play into the stereotype
1/plˈeɪ ˈɪntu ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
idiom
Act in a way that supports a stereotype
To act in a way that makes people believe a stereotype even more.
Examples
- When he got angry in the meeting, it played into the stereotype of artists as overly emotional.
- Casting only white actors in that role plays into the stereotype of who can be a hero.
reinforce the stereotype
1/ɹˌiɪnfˈɔɹs ðə stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪp/
fixed phrase
Make a stereotype stronger
To support a stereotype and make people believe it more.
Examples
- The ad reinforces the stereotype that dads are bad at parenting.
- Such jokes only reinforce the stereotype of lawyers as greedy.
shatter stereotypes
1/ʃˈætɚ stˈɛɹioʊtˌaɪps/
fixed phrase
Completely destroy stereotypes
To totally break and change common stereotypes, usually by strong examples.
Examples
- Her success as a female engineer helps shatter stereotypes in the industry.
- The documentary shatters stereotypes about life in Africa.