imitation

1 of 2

noun

im·​i·​ta·​tion ˌi-mə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: an act or instance of imitating

Children learn by imitation of adults.

He did a hilarious imitation of his father.

2

: something produced as a copy : counterfeit

a cheap/poor imitation

an imitation of mid-century architecture

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

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

6

psychology : the conscious or unconscious 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 of imitation

Noun

• reproduction
• copy
• replica

Adjective

• faux
• synthetic
• simulated
• fake
• artificial
• imitative
• dummy

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

Walker wore his Cardinals hat backward, chewed a big wad of bubble gum and reveled afterward in flashing his imitation Liberty Bell bling, the champions chain presented by Ryan Howard. — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

The new stories being told in this film mostly feel like a cheap imitation, or complete betrayal of the source material that made so many of these characters worth investing in. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

The platform includes software interfaces and development tools for vision-language-action (VLA) models, reinforcement learning and imitation learning, allowing developers to move AI algorithms from virtual environments to real-world hardware. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026

His peers of the mid-19th century were outrunning their critics and the old strictures of colonial imitation. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

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