stereotype

Definitions

stereo- (Greek stereos, 'solid, fixed') + type (Greek typos, 'mold, impression') = 'a solid fixed plate.' In old printing this was a one-piece metal plate cast from a mold so a page could be reprinted identically forever. Its whole point was zero variation. That mechanical sameness became the modern meaning: a rigid, oversimplified image stamped onto a whole group, ignoring the individual.

Why It Means This

The bias is baked into the word's origin. A printing stereotype prints exactly the same picture no matter what is in front of it — which is precisely what a mental stereotype does to people. Once you picture that fixed metal plate, the meaning sticks: it ignores the individual and reproduces the same image every time.

Common Collocations

• 1.reinforce a stereotype强化刻板印象
• 2.challenge a stereotype挑战刻板印象
• 3.gender stereotype性别刻板印象
• 4.racial stereotype种族刻板印象
• 5.fit the stereotype符合刻板印象

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The film challenges common stereotypes about old age.

• 2.

  It's unfair to stereotype people based on their accent.

• 3.

  She doesn't fit the stereotype of a shy librarian.

• 4.

  Advertising often reinforces gender stereotypes.

Easily Confused

stereotype vs prejudice vs cliché — A stereotype is a fixed mental image of a group ('all engineers are introverts'). Prejudice is the negative attitude or hostility that often follows from it. A cliché is a fixed phrase or idea that's overused but not necessarily about people. Stereotype = the image; prejudice = the bias acted on; cliché = the worn-out expression.