to stereotype
- verb
- /ˈstɛr.i.ə.taɪp/
- Yeah, Claire, don't stereotype the high school athlete.
- stereotype others
You're doing the very same thing that you think is wrong, you're stereotyping.
- You're doing the very same thing that you think is wrong, you're stereotyping.
- I don't, you know, with me, I tend not to gender stereotype.
- And then I realized that it is my job to see to it and I am not stereotyped.
- But it's OK because some people are OK to stereotype.
Examples
-
Some children are being brought up with the same cultural beliefs that stereotype boys' and girls' gender roles.
Academic text (1998) -
Yes, we all must be careful not to stereotype any generation or any "diversity" group.
Blog text (1) -
Why do people stereotype us all the time?
-
Let's not stereotype each other.
-
Why did I expect Black people to act differently, to not stereotype others?
Fiction book (1996) -
Maybe it is unfair to stereotype at all, even in what many would consider a positive way.
Blog text (32) -
Don't stereotype him.
-
We should not stereotype each other based on our backgrounds.
-
It's unfair to stereotype people without knowing their individual stories.
-
The teacher reminded us not to stereotype students by their appearances.
Synonyms
To put things or people into groups by what they have in common
To give someone a simple label or description that may not fit
To put someone into a narrow category that limits how others see them
Treat someone as one kind of person because of their looks or past roles
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A simple idea many people have about people from one country or culture, often not true
- Slur
A common unfair idea of an attractive woman who seems shallow and not smart
A negative belief that immigrants commit crimes, often spread by the media or politicians
- Offensive
A harmful false idea that people who get government help are lazy or dishonest
How Stereotypical
Surface Forms
Etymology
Stereotype as a verb comes from the same printing idea, with Greek stereos 'solid' and type 'model' — a plate that makes one 'copy' many times. That's why to stereotype someone is to treat them like a simple, repeated picture instead of seeing who they really are.