role model

See also: rôle model

English

Alternative forms

• role-model
• rôle model (rare)

Etymology

Coined by sociologist Robert K. Merton. First use appears c. 1944 in the American Sociological Review.

Noun

role model (plural role models)

1. A person who serves as an example, or whose behavior is emulated by others.

   Synonyms: exemplar, household deity; see also Thesaurus:model

   • 1986, Paul Simon (lyrics and music), “You Can Call Me Al”, in Graceland:

     Where's my wife and family? / What if I die here? / Who'll be my role model / Now that my role model is gone, gone?

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

     Shepard: I don't have time for this, Conrad. I'm not here to be a role model.
     Conrad Verner: Oh, I see how it is. Commander Shepard doesn't have time for the little people!
     Conrad Verner: Far be it for me to get in your way! You go be a hero.

Translations

person who serves as an example

• Bashkir: өлгө (ölgö), үрнәк (ürnək)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 榜樣／榜样 (zh) (bǎngyàng), 表率 (zh) (biǎoshuài)

• Danish: forbillede n, rollemodel c
• Dutch: rolmodel (nl) n, voorbeeld (nl) n
• Finnish: roolimalli (fi), esikuva (fi), malli (fi)
• French: modèle (fr) m, exemple (fr) m
• German: Vorbild (de) n
• Hebrew: מודל לחיקוי
• Hungarian: példakép (hu)
• Icelandic: fyrirmynd (is)
• Italian: modello di comportamento m, esempio (it) m, modello (it) m, falsariga (it) f, paradigma (it) m
• Japanese: お手本 (おてほん, o-tehon)
• Korean: 역할 모델 (yeokhal model)
• Macedonian: при́мер m (prímer)
• Malay: suri teladan
• Maori: mūrau
• Northern Sami: ovdagovva
• Norwegian: forbilde
• Persian: الگو (fa) (olgu), اسوه (fa) (osve), نمونه (fa) (nemune), سرمشق (fa) (sar mashq)
• Polish: przykład (pl) m, wzór (pl) m
• Portuguese: modelo (pt) m, exemplo (pt) m
• Russian: образе́ц для подража́ния m (obrazéc dlja podražánija), приме́р (ru) m (primér), образе́ц (ru) m (obrazéc)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: у́зор m

  Roman: úzor (sh) m

• Slovak: vzor m, príklad (pre druhých) m
• Spanish: modelo a imitar m, ejemplo (es) m
• Swedish: förebild (sv)
• Ukrainian: зразок для наслідування m (zrazok dlja nasliduvannja)
• Welsh: delfryd ymddwyn f

See also

• authority figure
• father figure
• mother figure

Further reading

• role model on Wikipedia.Wikipedia