simulacrum

noun

sim·​u·​la·​crum ˌsim-yə-ˈla-krəm 

-ˈlā-

plural simulacra ˌsim-yə-ˈla-krə 

-ˈlā-

also simulacrums

1

: image, representation

… a reasonable simulacrum of reality …

—Martin Mayer

2

: an insubstantial form or semblance of something : trace

Did you know?

There is more than a crumb of similarity between simulacrum and simulate: both words come from simulāre, a Latin verb meaning "to pretend, produce a fraudulent imitation of, imitate." At the root of simulāre is the Latin adjective similis, which means "having characteristics in common." Many "similar" words trace back to similis, hence the resemblance between simulacrum and familiar terms like simultaneous, simile, and of course similarity.

Examples of simulacrum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a subversive edge to this otherwise blithe simulacrum of a French salon inside the Printemps department store, with its frescoes, Languedoc marble tables and banquettes clad in Le Manach toile de Tours. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

But in successful experiments in the fall of 2025, scientists re-created the conditions present at the birth of planets, complete with simulacra of magma and miniature hydrogen atmospheres. —Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2026

With the assistance of producer Gavin Brown, who lent a glossy touch to Fantasies and Synthetica, Metric offers a simulacrum of their signature sound, one that lacks Haines’ snotty energy but provides a few melodies that can rival the band’s best. —Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026

An airport offers, if not exactly an equitable experience (there are Clear lines, lounge archipelagos), then at least a perceptible simulacrum of equality, in that everyone rides the same people movers past the same Cinnabons. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "image, representation," borrowed from Latin simulācrum "likeness, visual representation, image, statue, outward appearance of a person or thing (as in the imagination or a dream), phantom, sham appearance," from simulāre "to pretend, produce a fraudulent imitation of, imitate" + -crum, suffix of instruments (dissimilated from *-clum, going back to *-tlom) — more at simulate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for simulacrum

• sacrum

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