emulation

1 of 2

noun

em·​u·​la·​tion ˌem-yə-ˈlā-shən 

-yü-

1

: ambition or endeavor to equal or excel others (as in achievement)

2

a

: imitation

b

: the use of or technique of using an emulator

3

obsolete : ambitious or envious rivalry

emulative

ˈem-yə-ˌlā-tiv 

adjective

emulatively adverb

emulative

2 of 2

adjective

em·​u·​la·​tive ˈemyəˌlā|t|iv 

-lə|, 

|t|, 

|ēv also |əv

: characterized by emulation

a son's emulative drive to achieve the same success as his father

: tending to emulation

a man's character marked by strong emulative qualities

: deriving from emulation or the impulse or drive to emulation

the exploitation of materialistic drives and emulative anxieties

—D. M. Potter

emulatively

|ə̇vlē, 

-li

adverb

Examples of emulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Trump’s appreciation for and emulation of the histrionics of that sport have been much discussed over the years—recall how the late Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt to shreds at the 2024 Republican National Convention to reveal a TRUMP VANCE T-shirt underneath. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

Nvidia has been further pushing software vendors to offer native Arm support, optimizing apps for the non-x86 side of things, but even pushing for better PRISM emulation with dedicated Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2) and anti-cheat support for gaming. —Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026

Throw in the traditionally weaker performance of low-cost Windows laptops, and the need for emulation is going to quickly run into performance bottlenecks due to the hardware. —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026

The Early 2000s Digital Camera Revival Digi utilizes advanced sensor emulation to revive the early-2000s digital camera culture. —Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin aemulātiōn-, aemulātiō, from aemulārī "to vie with, rival, imitate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at emulate entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for emulation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

emulation

noun

em·​u·​la·​tion ˌem-yə-ˈlā-shən 

: the ambition or effort to emulate

emulative

ˈem-yə-ˌlāt-iv 

adjective