1.
to be conventional; to be stereotypical; to fit the mold
To follow a fixed pattern or formula without originality. Describes something predictable, formulaic, or rigidly conforming to established norms. Often used critically.
型にはまった考え方だ。
That's a conventional way of thinking.
型にはまった挨拶ではなく、自分の言葉で話してほしい。
Rather than a formulaic greeting, I'd like you to speak in your own words.
この映画は型にはまった展開で、少し退屈だった。
This movie had a predictable plot and was a bit boring.
USAGE:
型 means "mold" or "pattern" and はまる means "to fit into." The expression literally means "to fit into a mold" and is almost always used negatively to criticize something as unoriginal, predictable, or rigidly conventional. Most commonly appears in the past-participle form 型にはまった modifying a noun.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 型にはまった考え方 (conventional thinking)
- 型にはまった表現 (formulaic expression)
- 型にはまった展開 (predictable development)
- 型にはまらない (unconventional, free-thinking — the positive negation)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ありきたり: ordinary, commonplace — similar but less emphasis on rigidity
- マンネリ: rut, in a rut (from "mannerism") — describes something grown stale from repetition