as in performer
a person who imitates another's voice and mannerisms for comic effect
a celebrated impressionist who can do enough rapid-fire imitations to populate an entire stage with characters
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Recent Examples of impressionist
AFAR Media, 11 Apr. 2025
In last night’s cold open, the SNL cast member James Austin Johnson, the show’s resident Donald Trump impressionist, responded to the dig.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2025
Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025
Or the paint daubs of an impressionist painting.
—Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impressionist
Noun
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum fills in the gaps, connecting the old world to the new with impressionists and abstract pioneers.
—AFAR Media, 11 Apr. 2025
In last night’s cold open, the SNL cast member James Austin Johnson, the show’s resident Donald Trump impressionist, responded to the dig.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
O’Neal is known for both his neo-impressionist paintings and for large-scale installations of souvenir caricature figurines reflecting on the historic commodification of Black creativity.
—Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025
Or the paint daubs of an impressionist painting.
—Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impressionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impressionist
Noun
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Did Coachella, Rio and the Mayhem Ball take her to her highest heights yet as a live performer?—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
28 Jan. 2026
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What ties it all together, however, is SINAKA as a performer.—
Tomás Gauna,
Pitchfork,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Yet an outstanding cast, scripts that are perceptive about grief and remorse, and Hennie’s impressionistic directing more than make up for it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
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With impressionistic backgrounds and expressive animation, the series explores grief, faith and revolution through a deeply emotional lens.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The event was hosted by actor Steve Guttenberg.—
Michelle Edgar,
Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Like a director manning a film dolly, Kehlmann pans from one perspective to another—including those of Greta Garbo and Louise Brooks, two glamorous actors whom Pabst discovered—to give an expressionistic sense of the people and the forces shaping his life.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2025
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In nearly all these cases, there remains a sense of the uncanny, which makes the more recent works in the restaged show noteworthy for their comparably insistent, sometimes expressionistic representation of a warped realism.—
Tim Griffin,
Artforum,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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After all Ackmann’s research and many interviews, what one quality defined the entertainer?—
Nathan Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
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President Abraham Lincoln wore cravats, as did Hollywood actor Cary Grant and the extravagant entertainer Liberace.—
Kristina Kukolja,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The production is naturalistic, with bits of expressionist neo-noir worked in when a crime is being described.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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One of music’s greatest cosmic ironies is how ground zero for the expressionist rage known as death metal is located in easy driving distance from the Most Magical Place on Earth.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
19 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Although Rudolph’s concrete architecture was more complex and soulful than that of many of his imitators, that difference was often overlooked.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
13 Jan. 2026
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The film introduced new slang into the lexicon, repopularized surf rock, and spawned dozens of fast-talking imitators.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The movie sees Jackman portraying a Diamond impersonator, and the rocker’s smashes are featured throughout Song Sung Blue.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Few people would consider a career as a regional, impersonator-style vocalist to be worthwhile; even fewer would, having attained such a career, try to make themselves into something more than a novelty act.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impressionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impressionist. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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