Synonym Chooser

How does the noun facsimile differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of facsimile are copy, duplicate, replica, and reproduction. While all these words mean "a thing made to closely resemble another," facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale.

a facsimile of a rare book

When is it sensible to use copy instead of facsimile?

In some situations, the words copy and facsimile are roughly equivalent. However, copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically.

printed 1000 copies of the lithograph

When can duplicate be used instead of facsimile?

The synonyms duplicate and facsimile are sometimes interchangeable, but duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing.

a duplicate of a house key

When might replica be a better fit than facsimile?

Although the words replica and facsimile have much in common, replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details, but not always in the same scale.

a replica of the Mayflower
miniature replicas of classic cars

In what contexts can reproduction take the place of facsimile?

While in some cases nearly identical to facsimile, reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.

reproductions from the museum's furniture collection

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of facsimile The Orange County Sheriff Department’s Bomb Squad investigated the box and later determined the item inside was a facsimile of an explosive device. David Matthews, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2024 Although not a perfect facsimile for Minority Report’s smart retina system, today’s devices are within striking distance of it. Bhaskar Chakravorti, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2015 Smartly, the menu’s culinary homages are more riffs than facsimiles. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2024 Having recently won her own copyright case, after an artist created a facsimile of her work, she’s now set her sights on AI. Geoffrey Bunting, WIRED, 8 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for facsimile 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facsimile
Noun
  • In the Blue Room, visitors are invited to touch a replica of the French Bellangé antique furniture trim and upholstery, as well as replicas of marble busts, per CNN’s Betsy Klein.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
  • The Double Trouble Buck The Double Trouble Buck replica isn’t from a buck that was harvested or even found dead.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Productivity & Content Creation Tests Our Mac testing isn't an exact copy of our Windows testing protocols, due to the differences in operating system, chip architecture, and software catalog.
    Brian Westover, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • However, the credit-reporting companies allow consumers to get free copies of their credit report weekly.
    Marin Independent Journal, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Governor’s Veto The website for Kingstree depicts idyllic images of small-town life, with white people sitting on a porch swing, kayaking on a river, eating ice cream, and strolling with their dogs.
    Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
  • An expanding black circle marks the spread of polar night in the Arctic in this animation of images acquired by the NOAA-20 satellite between Sept. 4 and Nov. 7.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Biological evolution, with DNA mutations creating the configurations that persist through reproduction and natural selection, would then be only one subset of this broader law.
    Paul Voosen, science.org, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Infections typically occur in the dry season, between December and April, following the reproduction cycle of the multimammate rat in the wet season, the World Health Organization said.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • They’re projected to start the Miyatake and Muller twins with athletic forward Ellie Frazier. 9.
    Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 7 Nov. 2024
  • The former spouses also share twins Vivian Jenna and Griffin, who were born in 2004, and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian, who were born in 2006.
    Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Since then, Google Maps has blurred its picture of Fuentes’ house.
    Bruna Horvath, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Once your account has been created, click your account picture (top left), then Edit profile.
    David Nield, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Thankfully, earlier this year conservationists cloned Willa twice more, producing two new clones named Noreen and Antonia.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
  • The zookeepers freeze plant cells to clone in the future.
    Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • On the one hand, armor, as Wiley sees it, is a metaphor for portrait painting itself.
    Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Instead of Black life maimed, denuded of dignity, and degraded, each portrait that makes up I, Narcissus is a study of delicious glamour.
    Essence, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024

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Thesaurus Entries Near facsimile

Cite this Entry

“Facsimile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facsimile. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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