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 Jewett points out that there are plenty of applications, such as drug delivery and diagnostics, that don’t need a cell that fully rebuilds itself but could benefit from a facsimile like the SpudCell. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 14 July 2026 Reconstruction will not create a facsimile of the original LC-36A, however. Mike Wall, Space.com, 30 June 2026 Europa-Park in Rust, Germany A cheeky European facsimile of a famous theme park mouse couple, Europa-Park’s Ed and Edda’s ears will never form an iconic silhouette. Zachary Laks, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2026 Yesteryear is narrated by a woman named Natalie Heller Mills, a Ballerina Farm facsimile who is pregnant with her sixth child at the beginning of the novel, and whose pixel-perfect online life as @YesteryearRanch is essentially all a lie. Literary Hub, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for facsimile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facsimile
Noun
  • Just then, the strains of a familiar song wafted across the store, and Valencia and Zegarra followed it, past a Lightning McQueen replica, to a tiny area where a half-dozen child-size chairs were arranged before a screen.
    Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Accompanied by some technology — radars, satellite phones and whatnot — and a volleyball replica of Wilson from Castaway, Tez spent weeks in the Pacific with pods of dolphins, friendly seagulls and his own thoughts.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Good Spirits Everyone should have a copy of this book on their bar cart.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Stanford scientists will also perform a 3-D scan and print a copy of the tooth for Midpen to use for public outreach and education.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Light enters, and an image is reflected, but one’s consciousness is scaleable, elastic, shrinkable to the space within the glass.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • By now, Donohue would have been confident that Haaland was factually onside, but there was still the final stage, which is to approve an image that would be sent to the broadcasters.
    Graham Scott, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The exhibition is mostly screens, projections and reproductions, with a handful of great works from the 16th and 17th centuries and feels superficial at times.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • These reproductions are surprisingly effective, partly because the tapestry was made by many hands to begin with, and free embroidery is not an art of finesse.
    John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Mannion’s big-picture plans require Hurts to play in an Eagles offense that has already looked very different.
    Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Late Show won for writing, short form comedy, picture editing, technical direction and camerawork, and lighting design — all a fond farewell to the show.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Unfortunately, a particle returning from a ballistic flight is moving fast while its stationary twin is not.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • For those who plan to spend little time cooped up, the Standard or Standard Twin rooms (featuring a queen/full bed or two twins, respectively) are the way to go.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Some females, however, reproduce asexually by making clones of themselves.
    Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
  • That’s in contrast to bacteria, which reproduce asexually, creating clones that are often nearly identical and easy to trace.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Pretenders, the portrait of this first-ballot frontwoman’s venerable punk outfit that just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, gives you a possible answer pretty quickly.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For the first time, Zvyagintsev made a movie outside of Russia, moving Minotaur’s production to Latvia to stand in for a brutally frank portrait of his homeland at the dawn of the Ukraine war.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Facsimile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facsimile. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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