as in faux
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
like everything else the restaurant served, the whipped cream on the dessert was ersatz
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ersatz
At Disney, the ersatz world is the commodity that people are buying.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
This inexpensive ersatz version of pizza, which many in postwar Japan couldn’t afford, became a widespread snack sensation.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
In a world of deepfakes, ersatz eye contact is small beer.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Through its doors, an ersatz ballroom, shrouded in a fog-machine haze, houses Regency-era ephemera and a dance instructor.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ersatz
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
This inexpensive ersatz version of pizza, which many in postwar Japan couldn’t afford, became a widespread snack sensation.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
In a world of deepfakes, ersatz eye contact is small beer.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Through its doors, an ersatz ballroom, shrouded in a fog-machine haze, houses Regency-era ephemera and a dance instructor.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ersatz
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ersatz
Adjective
-
According to Briggs, after an officer took off his shirt in a faux striptease during a dance-off for a raffle prize, Kennedy put dollar bills in the officer’s pockets then took a bow — which Briggs said elicited cheers.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
The interior wipes clean, in the event of spills during transit, and the exterior is composed of a chic faux leather that’s waterproof and durable.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, Target was one of the first national retailers to raise the wellness bar by banning all cereals made with synthetic dyes and colors from its shelves.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Target will also carry a Froot Loops Wild Berry cereal made without certified synthetic colors.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The bot-detection firm Cyabra analyzed seven days of activity around the ad and determined that 15 percent of the TikTok accounts commenting on it were fake but had created a disproportionately large percentage of the uproar.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
To return the favor, Graham proposes a fake dating scheme with Wells to make her crush, singer Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), jealous.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The jeers were not heard at home thanks to the sound-selecting tech that replaces the boos with artificial cheers.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Rescuing utopian idyll from dystopian reality, Koreeda determines that humanity is too fragile to forfeit its defining qualities to a mechanical species; that our only viable function in an artificial tomorrow is as the eternal caretakers of memory and imagination.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Operators will use a tactical battle management system, leveraging offboard sensor information, to direct a test interceptor vehicle toward the simulated threat.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
-
These simulated attacks are meant to be equally as convincing as the real ones.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ersatz.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ersatz. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
