I. ster ‧ e ‧ o ‧ type 1 /ˈsteriətaɪp, ˈstɪər- $ ˈster-, ˈstɪr-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: French ; Origin: stéréotype , from Greek stereos ( ⇨ ↑ stereo 2 ) + French type ]
a belief or idea of what a particular type of person or thing is like. Stereotypes are often unfair or untrue
racial/sexual/cultural etc stereotype
racist stereotypes in the media
stereotype of
women who don’t fit the stereotype of the good mother
stereotype about
stereotypes about the elderly
—stereotypical /ˌsteriəˈtɪpɪk ə l, ˌstɪər- $ ˌster-, ˌstɪr-/ adjective :
the stereotypical Californian – tall, fit, and tanned
—stereotypically /-kli/ adverb
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COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + stereotype
▪ racial/racist stereotypes
The novel has been criticized for reinforcing racial stereotypes.
▪ cultural stereotypes
His jokes often depend on cultural stereotypes.
▪ national stereotypes
Such cartoons show how persistent national stereotypes are.
▪ sexual/gender stereotypes
Feminists justifiably object to these sexual stereotypes.
▪ an old/traditional stereotype
Many people still believe that old stereotype.
▪ a popular/common stereotype
Current evidence indicates that older people are more healthy than popular stereotypes suggest.
▪ a negative stereotype
We should avoid negative stereotypes regarding the performance of older workers.
■ verbs
▪ fit/conform to a stereotype (=be like the usual idea of something)
He doesn’t fit the stereotype of a Stanford student.
▪ reinforce a stereotype (=make a stereotype stronger by showing or describing someone in the usual way)
Charities for older people must be careful not to reinforce harmful stereotypes.
▪ challenge a stereotype (=be different from the usual idea of something)
These young women want to challenge gender stereotypes.
II. stereotype 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
to decide unfairly that a type of person has particular qualities or abilities because they belong to a particular race, sex, or social class
stereotype somebody as something
Homeless people are stereotyped as alcoholics or addicts.
—stereotyping noun [uncountable]
—stereotyped adjective