role model


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role model

1. noun A person whose behavior, critical thinking, decisions, etc., is held up as an ideal example for one to emulate. The athlete has striven to serve as a role model to the young people in his community who look up to him.
2. verb To demonstrate the correct behavior, critical thinking, decisions, etc., for someone else to emulate. As a parent, it's extremely important to role model the ways we want our children to handle negative emotions. You're the leader of this company. If you're not role modeling the right kind of behavior in the office, then who will?
See also: model, role
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

role model

An individual whose behavior serves as an exemplar to others. This expression, dating from the second half of the 1900s, alludes to acting out parts in a theatrical production. It appeared in the New York Times Magazine (June 26, 1977): “If the teacher was a ‘role model’ parents were obviously unaware of it.”
See also: model, role
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
See also:
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