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Definition of simulacrum
simulacra
play \ˌsim-yə-ˈla-krə, -ˈlā-\ alsosimulacrums
1 : image, representation a reasonable simulacrum of reality — Martin Mayer
2 : an insubstantial form or semblance of something : trace
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Recent Examples of simulacrum from the Web
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Westeros (and its neighboring countries and islands) remains permanently stuck in a simulacrum of medieval Eurasia.
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All sorts of simulacrum and decoy realities now flourish.
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ABC's venerable variety-show format gets good judges and talent for its opener, but Mike Myers' performance-art host, Tommy Maitland, adds nothing, Daniel Fienberg writes in his review: Tommy Maitland is a reasonable enough simulacrum of a human.
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On one side of Twin Peaks: The Return is Dougie, a long-dormant simulacrum of Dale Cooper who is slowly regaining his personality.
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From the refuse of war and scraps of charity, Sarat and her fellow survivors manufacture a grotesque simulacrum of normal life, but their efforts are constantly interrupted by fresh outrages.
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But this title race had never really been a drama, merely the simulacrum of one.
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In a typically surreal Chinese gesture, Liang and Lin’s home is now being recreated from plans and photographs as a simulacrum, although no official announcements have been made about its future status as a memorial.
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From the refuse of war and scraps of charity, Sarat and her fellow survivors manufacture a grotesque simulacrum of normal life, but their efforts are constantly interrupted by fresh outrages.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'simulacrum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
It's not a figment of your imagination; there is a similarity between simulacrum and simulate. Both of those English words derive from simulare, a Latin verb meaning "to copy, represent, or feign." In its earliest English uses, simulacrum named something that provided an image or representation (as, for instance, a portrait, marble statue, or wax figure representing a person). Perhaps because a simulacrum, no matter how skillfully done, is not the real thing, the word gained an extended sense emphasizing the superficiality or insubstantiality of a thing.
Origin and Etymology of simulacrum
Middle English, from Latin, from simulare
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