Basic Details
Word: Stereotype
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A fixed and too simple idea of what a whole group of people or things is like, such as believing all toppers are boring. As a verb it means to judge someone by such an idea.
Synonyms: generalisation, cliche, label
How to Spell Stereotype
Syllables: ster - e - o - type
Tricky part: The middle is stereo, as in a stereo system, so it is e-o, not i-o. The ending is type, with a y.
Watch out for: sterio-type, steriotype, stereotipe
Memory tip: Join two words you can already spell: stereo, the music system, plus type, as in typing.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Films often show the stereotype of the absent-minded professor.
Example 2: It is a stereotype to think that boys cannot cook.
Example 3: Meeting people from Nagaland changed the stereotype she had picked up from television.
Fun Fact
A stereotype was first a solid metal printing plate cast from a mould of set type; the Greek stereos means solid. The meaning of a fixed idea came much later, in the 1920s.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
ster_ot_pe
a) e, i
b) i, y
c) e, y
d) a, y
Show answer
c) e, y. The word is stereo joined to type, so it needs an e before the o and a y after the t.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word stereotype as it is used in the sentence:
It is unfair to judge anyone by the old stereotype that people who wear glasses are always studious.
a) generalisation
b) originality
c) exception
d) individuality
Show answer
a) generalisation. A stereotype treats everyone in a group the same way, which is a generalisation.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. prejudise 2. asumption 3. discrimmination 4. stereotype
a) a fixed, over-simple idea of what a group is like
b) something taken to be true without proof
c) treating people unfairly because of the group they belong to
d) an unfair dislike formed without good reason
Show answer
a) a fixed, over-simple idea of what a group is like. Prejudice takes a c, discrimination one m, and assumption a double s, so they all fail.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence describes a stereotype?
a) Phones need charging.
b) My grandfather has a phone.
c) Some phones are expensive.
d) All grandparents are bad with phones.
Show answer
d) All grandparents are bad with phones.
2. To stereotype someone is to ____.
a) judge them by their group
b) copy their writing
c) help them study
d) praise their work
Show answer
a) judge them by their group
