Definition of "stereotype" []

• A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. (noun)
• One that is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type. (noun)
• Printing A metal printing plate cast from a matrix molded from a raised printing surface, such as type. (noun)
• To make a stereotype of. (verb-transitive)
• To characterize by a stereotype: "Elderly Americans are the neglected sector of the fashion industry, stereotyped by blue hair and polyester pantsuits” ( American Demographics). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "As we saw in chapter 4, the term stereotype threat has been coined to describe this phenomenon."
• "In contrast, for female students with the ability to succeed and an interest in rising to the top, highlighting expectations of poor performance are quite threatening—hence the name stereotype threat.21"
• "From that point of view, the stereotype is actually a really efficient narrative tool — like the stock characters in medieval or Renaissance plays — especially for short-form visual media."