archetypal

The original model

Archetypal describes something that serves as a perfect or defining example of a type: the archetypal hero's journey, an archetypal villain.

The word comes from archetype—an original pattern from which copies are made.

In Jungian psychology, archetypes are universal symbols embedded in the collective unconscious, but in everyday use archetypal simply means quintessential or prototypical: She's the archetypal workaholic.

prototype

exemplar

Typical perfect instance

paradigmGoverning framework of thought
templatePreset pattern for reproduction
modelRepresentation or paradigm

blueprint · standard · quintessence · epitome · original · precursor · benchmark · ideal · mold · pattern

mythic

hero

One admired for courage

questSeeking journey for something
shadowLight blocked by object
tricksterCunning deceiver in myth

sage · mother · father · anima · animus · rebirth · oracle · transformation · initiation · descent

universal

primal

First in origin

eternalLasting without end
timelessUnaffected by eras
transcendentExceeding usual boundaries

collective · innate · perennial · enduring · primordial · fundamental · cross-cultural · ubiquitous · immutable · essential

symbolic

emblem

Representational sign or device

motifRecurring thematic element
iconPictorial screen symbol
totemSpiritual clan symbol

allegory · metaphor · representation · signifier · manifestation · symbol · image · figure · trope · leitmotif

archetypal

exemplar

hero

primal

emblem

archetypal

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

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