1
as in followers
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way
an Elvis imitator in a sequinned jumpsuit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in performers
a person who imitates another's voice and mannerisms for comic effect
that comedian is a hilarious imitator of a surprising array of current celebrities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imitators
Baseball is a copycat league, and success breeds imitators.
—
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
In Karp’s telling, Basquiat is someone who Just Did Things, like today’s defense tech founders, who possess a similar kind of creative conviction, as opposed to the consumer tech imitators of yesteryear.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
This is the first Hitchcock film that fully crystallizes his distinct sense of dark humor, which is one of the key elements that sets his thrillers apart from those of his contemporaries and imitators.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
Swimbaits, stick baits, creature baits, crawfish imitators, and big ribbontail worms will all catch fish on a Texas rig.
—Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
For decades, Gallup’s company and its imitators improved their techniques.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026
Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The imitators are increasingly convincing, especially as AI image and video generators get better by the day.
—John Whyte, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
That's the beloved appetizer consisting of six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp that family matriarch Carmen Murguia brought to California from the border town of Mexicali, creating what may be the area’s most popular Mexican dish and inspiring countless imitators.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
In Karp’s telling, Basquiat is someone who Just Did Things, like today’s defense tech founders, who possess a similar kind of creative conviction, as opposed to the consumer tech imitators of yesteryear.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
This is the first Hitchcock film that fully crystallizes his distinct sense of dark humor, which is one of the key elements that sets his thrillers apart from those of his contemporaries and imitators.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
Swimbaits, stick baits, creature baits, crawfish imitators, and big ribbontail worms will all catch fish on a Texas rig.
—Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
For decades, Gallup’s company and its imitators improved their techniques.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026
Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The imitators are increasingly convincing, especially as AI image and video generators get better by the day.
—John Whyte, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
That's the beloved appetizer consisting of six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp that family matriarch Carmen Murguia brought to California from the border town of Mexicali, creating what may be the area’s most popular Mexican dish and inspiring countless imitators.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitators
Noun
-
Dukes has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Bishop encouraged followers to abandon their families and join his vision of a would-be utopia.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The echoes of the past walked through the building, only fitting in a Philly-Boston postseason rivalry.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Her rock-climbing skills also come in handy when she’s trapped in a narrow gorge, and soon after when a hairy ascent provides echoes of the prologue.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Upstairs, impressionists, writers, socialites, and painters who moved in Proust’s orbit, from Sarah Bernhardt to Emile Zola and Claude Monet, lent their names to a room or suite.—
Lindsey Tramuta,
Robb Report,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Josh is a skeptic who gets itchy whenever actors burst into song; Melissa is a believer who longs for a romance so transcendent that it can be expressed only in an airy glissando, opted up an octave.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Some critics argue that the clean energy transition simply trades one dependency for another, shifting reliance from fossil fuels controlled by unstable actors to supply chains heavily concentrated in China.—
Jennifer Granholm,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jokes about her standing within the LGBTQ community, and the countless drag impersonators who take up her likeness.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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In other cases highlighted by TODAY, AI impersonators hawked treatments that were scientifically impossible.—
John Whyte,
STAT,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitators. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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