mimicry

noun

mim·​ic·​ry ˈmi-mi-krē 

plural mimicries

1

a

: an instance of mimicking

b

: the action, practice, or art of mimicking

entertained his family with mimicry and comic skits

—Cynthia Ozick

2

: a superficial (see superficial sense 2b) resemblance of one organism to another or to natural objects among which it lives that secures it a selective advantage (such as protection from predation)

Examples of mimicry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This physical mimicry is proven to be another defensive advantage for the crickets, researchers said. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 7 May 2025

Protecting the human spark While AI models that simulate creativity in writing, coding, images, audio, or video can achieve remarkable imitations of human works, this sophisticated mimicry currently lacks the full depth of the human experience. —ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025

Unlike cowbirds, which use muscle and might, cuckoos tend to act stealthily, and, as mentioned above, have even evolved mimicry. —Nathan H. Lents, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2025

While Glaze is designed to protect individual artists from style mimicry, Nightshade aims to shift the power balance for all artists by targeting the content of images rather than just their style. —Hessie Jones, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

mimicry

noun

mim·​ic·​ry ˈmim-i-krē 

plural mimicries

1

: the action, art, or an instance of mimicking

2

: a resemblance of one living thing to another or to natural objects among which it lives that gives it an advantage (as concealment or protection from predators)

Medical Definition

mimicry

noun

mim·​ic·​ry ˈmim-i-krē 

plural mimicries

: an instance of mimicking something