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 The Carter Museum also partnered with the Fort Worth History Center to provide a number of archival materials, photographs, and facsimiles of the Como Weekly, a Black newspaper in the Lake Como community that ran from 1940 until 1986. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026 The installation reproduces local KGB archives on Stalin and facsimiles of historical artifacts of the 1960s placed around an AR reconstruction of Buddha in Nirvana, a forty-three-foot-long, 1,600-year-old clay statue of a reclining Buddha excavated in Tajikistan in the late ’60s. Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026 Two games later, a facsimile materialized. Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for facsimile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facsimile
Noun
  • For an all-important sit-down dinner set inside Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper Museum, a team of Italian scenic painters—led by a woman who manages backdrops for an opera in Rome—built and painted a replica on a local soundstage that was about ¾ the size of the original.
    Mara Reinstein, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026
  • This 24-pack of Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs is a near-exact replica of the chocolate frog Ron ate with Harry on their first train ride to Hogwarts in The Sorcerer’s Stone.
    Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • Knapp’s wife, Grace Knapp, was presented with a copy of the commemorative street sign.
    Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
  • There was a stack of six advanced reader copies of my own book.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Alpencamper View gallery - 13 images Most bicycle campers just tow, but there are some that flip, that drop, that pitch and that straight blow up.
    C.C. Weiss May 01, New Atlas, 1 May 2026
  • However, the image of the Indigenous man is still featured around the campus, including in a large mural in the gym.
    Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • Scientists have documented that increasingly brighter nights are altering animal behavior, reproduction cycles and survival.
    Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Men begetting men is the story, a kind of immaculate cultural reproduction.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Somehow, the word, in its double-pronged definition, gets to the heart of these pictures, and perhaps is the key to understanding Hurst himself.
    Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Nearly three years after their arrests, prosecutors abruptly brought Bryant into their picture of the killing.
    Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • David Palmer, in his first year as South Elgin’s coach, knew the twins were his type of players early on after taking over.
    Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Wildlife officials say aoudad reproduce far more quickly, often producing twins twice a year.
    Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Other characters the writer co-created during this time are the supervillain Jackal and Parker’s clone Ben Reilly.
    Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Other companies have already deployed AI clones of their leaders in a similar fashion to Customers Bank.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Carly will modify her design according to the needs of future exhibitions, which include shows with Karen Kilimnik and Joseph Geagan; the latter’s will incorporate portraits of members of the Vegas scene, Carly among them.
    Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • Through simple text and brilliant animal illustrations reminiscent of Eric Carle’s finest, Caldecott honoree Christian Robinson presents a lovely and nuanced portrait of dads across the animal kingdom, from lions to seahorses to humans.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Facsimile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facsimile. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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