ˈstir-
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What is the Difference Between cliché and stereotype?
The words cliché and stereotype have a good deal in common. Both come from French, both were originally printers’ terms, and both have come to take on somewhat negative meanings in modern use.
Their original meanings are essentially synonymous, referring to printing blocks from which numerous prints could be made. In fact, cliché means stereotype in French. Their modern meanings, however, are quite distinct. Cliché is today overwhelmingly encountered in reference to something hackneyed, such as an overly familiar or commonplace phrase, theme, or expression. Stereotype is most frequently now employed to refer to an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.
Examples of stereotype in a Sentence
Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Audiences stereotyped Olandria and Chelley Bissainthe as mean girls based off of editing bias and harmful tropes.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 15 July 2025
Armond White, National Review, 25 July 2025
No racist stereotypes, no demeaning facial expressions, no bowed heads, and no broken bodies from the old Hollywood.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stereotype
Cite this Entry
“Stereotype.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stereotype. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stereotype
1 of 2 noun
stereotype
2 of 2 verbMedical Definition
stereotype
noun
ˈstir-
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