FACSIMILE Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

facsimile

noun

fak-ˈsi-mə-lē

Definition of facsimile next

as in replica

something or someone that strongly resembles another the family resemblance is so strong that the boy is virtually a pint-size facsimile of his father

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in copy

something that is made to look exactly like something else this is not an antique copy of the Declaration of Independence but a modern facsimile

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Drawing at least in part on information from Chalker’s defectors, the Pentagon constructed life-size underground facsimiles of Iranian nuclear facilities where the scientists had worked, attempting to duplicate even the thickness of the walls. —

David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for facsimile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for facsimile

Noun

That, of course, is the same plate seen on the show, and the same one on the Volo Museum's replica.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Adult shirts are £85 for replicas, £12o for authentic cuts (closer to what players wear in games), and £130 for the authentic long sleeve version.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 15 May 2026