as in reproduction
something that is made to look exactly like something else
challenged me to tell the real roses from the silk imitations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in faux
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
the stage production uses only imitation diamonds, as real gems would be prohibitively expensive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 imitation
Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Additionally, its full-body motion control system—trained using reinforcement learning and imitation techniques—delivers smooth, disturbance-resistant movement.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026
Male lesser goldfinches sing particularly complex songs, which include imitations of other birds' calls.
—Lauren David, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
This will eventually mean that only tweed made in Donegal will be allowed to be marketed as such, helping to prevent imitations and retain jobs.
—Kissa Castaneda, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imitation
Noun
Ross has 13 prior arrests, including for assault, criminal contempt, imitation of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Additionally, its full-body motion control system—trained using reinforcement learning and imitation techniques—delivers smooth, disturbance-resistant movement.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026
Male lesser goldfinches sing particularly complex songs, which include imitations of other birds' calls.
—Lauren David, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
This will eventually mean that only tweed made in Donegal will be allowed to be marketed as such, helping to prevent imitations and retain jobs.
—Kissa Castaneda, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imitation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitation
Noun
-
Scientists have documented that increasingly brighter nights are altering animal behavior, reproduction cycles and survival.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Men begetting men is the story, a kind of immaculate cultural reproduction.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On Thursday, before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Kimmel poked fun at the event on his late night show, sharing faux remarks for his own dinner.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2026
-
As for less-invasive bedroom ceiling upgrade options, Cunningham recommends faux beams, tongue-and-groove ceilings, limewash paint, or simple medallions around light fixtures.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Knapp’s wife, Grace Knapp, was presented with a copy of the commemorative street sign.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
There was a stack of six advanced reader copies of my own book.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
From 1945 to 1971, pregnant mothers who wanted to prevent miscarriages were prescribed the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES).—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
To address this, Cotton Incorporated collaborated with leading global researchers to quantify plastic leakage across both cotton and synthetic value chains, spanning fast fashion and more traditional apparel categories.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For an all-important sit-down dinner set inside Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper Museum, a team of Italian scenic painters—led by a woman who manages backdrops for an opera in Rome—built and painted a replica on a local soundstage that was about ¾ the size of the original.—
Mara Reinstein,
Architectural Digest,
1 May 2026
-
This 24-pack of Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs is a near-exact replica of the chocolate frog Ron ate with Harry on their first train ride to Hogwarts in The Sorcerer’s Stone.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
While many hospitality programs offer simulated environments, our students step directly into Miami, the ultimate hospitality laboratory.—
Dr. Michael Cheng,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The simulated winds, which in a recent test purposefully fluctuated between 30 and 55 mph (50 to 90 kph), continually pushed the flames toward the home.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Prosecutors allege Burke later bought a shovel, chainsaws, a body bag, and a blue inflatable kiddie pool under a fake name online, and used the items to dismember Rivas in his garage.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2026
-
Artificial Plants Designer Ashley Hauza says a fake ficus tree on a porch isn't going to fool anyone.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Neuroscientists have found that these events at dendrites can allow even single neurons to perform complex computations — meaning that dendrites are the reason why a single neuron can have the same amount of computational power as a deep artificial neural network.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
-
For $150, a homebuyer in escrow can buy a report from the artificial-intelligence fueled HOASnapshot.—
Amancai Biraben,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitation. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
