1
as in imitation
using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model
your writing style tends to be imitative of whichever author you've recently read
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2
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
an imitative extract never has the flavor of the real thing
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Recent Examples of imitative
The Emory oak restoration imitative to preserve groves in the region recently marked its fifth anniversary, Peacey said.
—
The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
Girard drew from his early-career studies of literary figures such as Proust the insight that desire is essentially imitative (or mimetic) rather than straightforwardly directed toward its apparent objects.
—Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
Mae’s life aligns with the repetitive, imitative work of Warhol, showing us that the story of growing into an adult — becoming a woman — is a story of aesthetic creation.
—Bekah Waalkes, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
The crowded true-crime space tends to be an imitative one—a quality that can work in victims’ favor, as with this docuseries, which builds on the empathy-building of its predecessors.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for imitative
The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
Girard drew from his early-career studies of literary figures such as Proust the insight that desire is essentially imitative (or mimetic) rather than straightforwardly directed toward its apparent objects.
—Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
Mae’s life aligns with the repetitive, imitative work of Warhol, showing us that the story of growing into an adult — becoming a woman — is a story of aesthetic creation.
—Bekah Waalkes, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
The crowded true-crime space tends to be an imitative one—a quality that can work in victims’ favor, as with this docuseries, which builds on the empathy-building of its predecessors.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for imitative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitative
Adjective
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That's all synthetic, but it's not made by a robot.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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People are taking great measures to get eggs Federal data shows that eggs are being seized at U.S. borders more than the synthetic opioid fentanyl, a trend occurring amid an ongoing bird flu outbreak causing poultry shortages across the nation.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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To get robotic collectives closer to Terminator’s mimetic polyalloy, the team wants to make the robots smaller.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
1 Mar. 2025
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These mimetic dynamics play out not just within countries but between them.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Where Hailey will opt for sumptuous faux furs and nipped in waists, Justin is most comfortable in big hoodies and bigger shorts.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
22 Mar. 2025
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Many leather cleaners can also clean faux leather, vinyl, rubber and plastic — or at least some combination of them.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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By now, their break-ups to make-ups have become formulaic and boring — more than 780 episodes will do that to ya — but during the early seasons of The Simpsons, Homer and Marge's relationship was one of the most complex on television.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Statham reunites with director David Ayer after their last hit together, The Beekeeper, for this formulaic but effective actioner that might well have starred Sylvester Stallone decades ago (sorry, Sly, but the years are marching on).—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Each judge reviewed simulated appeals in international war crimes cases.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
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According to the Global Times, the training, which involved a combat support ship detachment assigned to the Chinese Northern Theater Command, included maritime boarding, navigating under simulated complex weather conditions, as well as search and rescue.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is the version (1.0) version of his mock draft, and there could easily be revisions made necessary by trades, medical history and players rising and falling.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2025
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One surprising faller in the latest mock draft from Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report is top tight end prospect Tyler Warren.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Both Tokyo and Seoul blast riders with artificial freshness to make commuting a little less pungent.—
Susan Campos,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Mar. 2025
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Keep it simple with these artificial lavender bouquets from Walmart, or get 20 sets of different types of flowers on Amazon.—
Christopher Murray,
Fox News,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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These mimic quantum circuits without needing quantum hardware—some examples include IBM Qiskit Aer and Google Cirq Simulator.—
Margarita Simonova,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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That is, the mimic leaves were longer, and less lobed.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2024
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Imitative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitative. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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