Definition of facsimilenext

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun facsimile differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of facsimile are copy, duplicate, replica, and reproduction. While all these words mean "a thing made to closely resemble another," facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale.

a facsimile of a rare book

When is it sensible to use copy instead of facsimile?

In some situations, the words copy and facsimile are roughly equivalent. However, copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically.

printed 1000 copies of the lithograph

When can duplicate be used instead of facsimile?

The synonyms duplicate and facsimile are sometimes interchangeable, but duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing.

a duplicate of a house key

When might replica be a better fit than facsimile?

Although the words replica and facsimile have much in common, replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details, but not always in the same scale.

a replica of the Mayflower
miniature replicas of classic cars

In what contexts can reproduction take the place of facsimile?

While in some cases nearly identical to facsimile, reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.

reproductions from the museum's furniture collection

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 facsimile McCarthy moved to his current studio in 2012, and around then, bought land out in the Tehachapi Mountains to serve as Wild West backdrops, not unlike the early film studios buying up tumbleweed stables in Topanga to serve as facsimiles of one-horse towns to shoot westerns. Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 25 Feb. 2026 The idea is that future visitors will be able to ask Schneider — or rather, her digital facsimile — these and dozens of other questions face to face, with AI making the exchange conversational. Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2026 To go from a franchise that enjoyed a 30-year continuum of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers at QB to a franchise that has spent almost as long looking for a failing to find the next Marino or even an acceptable facsimile. Greg Cote january 22, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026 The 27-year-old will never be considered in the same tier as Thompson as a shooter, but Melton sure did his best facsimile in the Warriors’ victory Wednesday night over the Bucks. Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for facsimile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facsimile
Noun
  • New selfie spots The Centerfield Plaza will be home to an oversized 2025 World Series replica trophy, alongside the 2024 trophy where fans can take pictures.
    Richard Guzman, Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Faux-chrome hubcaps and brick outlines resembling fenders decorate the building’s skin; those giant gargoyles on the corners are overscale replicas of radiator-cap hood ornaments.
    Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Then, carbon-copy goals from Brittany Ratcliffe and Madison Mercado — who got on the end of crosses whipped in by Sofia Huerta in the 26th and 33rd minutes — saw the Current shell-shocked down 3-0 in the 33rd minute.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Keep copies of your passport and use a money belt in crowded areas.
    Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Fatalities data, the group says, is based on a range of sources, including sources among medical workers, publicly available images and official statements.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Whereas the intimate, snapshot-style images call us to bask in the anachronistic warmth of the analog, the profane photographs beckon toward the messy pleasures of the body.
    Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The results show that reproduction could pose a real challenge for future space settlers, but it still can’t be ruled out as impossible.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The study, from researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia, is just the latest addition to a growing pile of evidence that suggests mammalian reproduction in space might be quite complicated, if not impossible.
    Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Regardless of how anyone might have felt about the new picture that Einstein’s greatest achievement, the general theory of relativity, brought along with it, the behavior of physical phenomena in the Universe doesn’t lie.
    Big Think, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The preliminary visa data helps paint a fuller picture of immigration declines in the United States.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • These systems include digital twins, in-line sensing, and real-time production monitoring systems that are becoming more common in modern manufacturing environments.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Carmaker Mercedes Benz uses digital twins of its factories and assembly lines to reduce downtime, and also to test its driving software in simulations before real-world deployment.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Stumpy was one of the trees cleared for the renovations, but Stumpy clones live on, waiting to be planted when the work is done.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Individuals need control in a world awash with digital clones, but that control cannot harm the freedom of expression our industry relies upon to entertain and inform the world.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That family portrait is so weird!
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Along with the album cover, the shared a new black and white portrait of himself, captured by daughter Mary McCartney.
    Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Facsimile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facsimile. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

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