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role model

American  
[rohl mod-l] / ˈroʊl ˌmɒd l /

noun

  1. a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.

role model British  

noun

  1. a person regarded by others, esp younger people, as a good example to follow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
role model Cultural  

  1. A person who serves as an example of the values, attitudes, and behaviors associated with a role. For example, a father is a role model for his sons. Role models can also be persons who distinguish themselves in such a way that others admire and want to emulate them. For example, a woman who becomes a successful brain surgeon or airline pilot can be described as a role model for other women.

Etymology

Origin of role model

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Skipper Khandaker, from a southern constituency where Islamist lawmakers won the recent polls, knows the cost of serving as a role model.

From Barron's

When they cannot find role models in real life, they hope they can see them in films or television, he explains.

From BBC

Just a normal guy - a role model to show anyone what can be achieved.

From BBC

Any child will recognize that the book’s nonreptilian characters are abominable role models: One is a fool, the other a liar.

From The Wall Street Journal

I had the idea that such a colleague, a role model for us, would warrant and would deserve and hopefully would feel reassurance as a result of his colleagues coming along to support him.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.