imitation

1 of 2

noun

im·​i·​ta·​tion ˌi-mə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: an act or instance of imitating

2

: something produced as a copy : counterfeit

3

: a literary work designed to reproduce the style of another author

4

: the repetition by one voice of a melody, phrase, or motive stated earlier in the composition by a different voice

5

: the quality of an object in possessing some of the nature or attributes of a transcendent idea

6

: the assumption of behavior observed in other individuals

imitation

2 of 2

adjective

: resembling something else that is usually genuine and of better quality : not real

imitation leather

Synonyms

Noun

• carbon
• carbon copy
• clone
• copy
• dummy
• dupe
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• mock
• reduplication
• replica
• replication
• reproduction

Adjective

• artificial
• bogus
• dummy
• ersatz
• factitious
• fake
• false
• faux
• imitative
• man-made
• mimic
• mock
• pretend
• sham
• simulated
• substitute
• synthetic

Examples of imitation in a Sentence

Noun

Children learn by imitation of adults.

The restaurant was designed in imitation of a Japanese temple.

He did a hilarious imitation of his father.

The real diamonds are in a museum. These are just imitations.

Adjective

the stage production uses only imitation diamonds, as real gems would be prohibitively expensive

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Golden Age of great chefs in America was born out of imitation, adaption and innovation by young cooks buoyed by receptive media to get a national, even global, audience. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Protecting the human spark While AI models that simulate creativity in writing, coding, images, audio, or video can achieve remarkable imitations of human works, this sophisticated mimicry currently lacks the full depth of the human experience. —ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025

Despite this imitation of freedom, Black life still flourishes. —Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

In this case, art is not an imitation of life, simply the outcome of it. —Hali Bey Ramdene, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ymytacyoun "emulation," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French imitacion, borrowed from Latin imitātiōn-, imitātiō "action of copying, copy," from imitārī "to follow as a pattern, imitate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

Adjective

from attributive use of imitation entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1818, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing imitation

• pale imitation

Rhymes for imitation

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

Kids Definition

imitation

1 of 2 noun

im·​i·​ta·​tion ˌim-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: an act of imitating

2

: something produced as a copy

imitation

2 of 2 adjective

: resembling something else especially of better quality

imitation pearls

imitation leather