1
as in emulating
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
teenage musicians who imitate whichever rock stars are hot
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in parodying
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
imitating someone's stutter and laughing at them is a cruel thing to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in copying
to make an exact likeness of
a second-rate artist who was notorious for imitating the works of other painters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of imitating
Both of us remember childhood weekends spent recording our own camcorder sketch shows — Lee imitating Dana Carvey’s Ross Perot and Molly Shannon’s Mary Catherine Gallagher, Jenn pushing the boundaries of absurdism far past the point of actually getting laughs.
—
Lee Kelly, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
The upcoming season of Nobody Wants This includes a bit more art imitating life after Timothy Simons‘ recent hair experiment.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2026
Two years later, in a case of life imitating art, Michele realized her dreams of playing Fanny Brice on Broadway — much like Rachel Berry — replacing Beanie Feldstein in the revival of Funny Girl.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Instead of imitating other instruments and conforming to conventional musical ideas, Buchla (and Ciani) set out to create a paradigm based on harnessing the flow of electricity itself.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026
In the clip Miller says a lot without naming names and without directly addressing the life-imitating-art of it all.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2026
The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly but were using the human’s choice as a cue to guide their own foraging decisions.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
Lee Kelly, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
The upcoming season of Nobody Wants This includes a bit more art imitating life after Timothy Simons‘ recent hair experiment.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2026
Two years later, in a case of life imitating art, Michele realized her dreams of playing Fanny Brice on Broadway — much like Rachel Berry — replacing Beanie Feldstein in the revival of Funny Girl.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Instead of imitating other instruments and conforming to conventional musical ideas, Buchla (and Ciani) set out to create a paradigm based on harnessing the flow of electricity itself.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026
In the clip Miller says a lot without naming names and without directly addressing the life-imitating-art of it all.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2026
The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly but were using the human’s choice as a cue to guide their own foraging decisions.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitating
Verb
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Maintain situational awareness of your wares and marketplace, emulating those who have successfully led before you and, more importantly, keeping a close watch on your top competitors.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Another friendly, to take place before facing Mexico, is also in the pipeline ahead of Popovic inking his final 26-man squad; one that will carry Australian hopes of emulating their round of 16 appearances in Germany at the 2006 edition and then Qatar 2022 — and the dream of even more.—
Michael Bailey,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Heidecker — the mind behind projects including The Tim and Eric Show and On Cinema — has been parodying Jones for years.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
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And of course Burrs, whom Donica plays with titanic, Sweeney-esque feeling and force of baritone, is all the more self-hating and compromised, having made a career parodying himself.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Join me in copying Pidgeon’s spring-ready lip look while the Rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint is only $14.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
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By copying the strut and behavior of real males, the robotic birds are meant to attract younger grouse and encourage them to start a new breeding site in a safer location.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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All of that just mimicking where Texas finds itself.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2026
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Through this, researchers are mimicking natural structures, such as bird nests and bone minerals, to create ultra-strong manufactured materials.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When Suzanna, a fledgling psychologist, tells, at Max’s urging, a mocking anecdote about one of her young clients, neither Becky nor the sensitive Andrew get the laugh.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
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Talkative characters like the froggish Mallow and even Bowser himself are motor-mouthed and sarcastic, nigglingly mocking Mario for his inability to speak in anything other than nods and pantomimes.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rather than reproducing Monroe’s public mythology, Oates invents a fictional interior life for Norma Jeane Baker, exploring the psychological cost of becoming a cultural icon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
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After that, two of her daughters (siblings from a 2019 litter) began reproducing sequentially.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even the Altitude Edition with the black wheels -- at the time no one was really doing that.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The authority on gardening in the South loved doing live shows and meeting his fans.—
Rodney Ho,
AJC.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the genre eventually called alt-country calcified in Souled American’s wake, luminaries like John Darnielle, Will Oldham, and Tweedy himself all evangelized about the Chicago group without ever replicating their sound.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who lost out in the Dodgers’ bidding in 2012, surrounded the Rams’ Inglewood stadium and Woodland Hills training site with major development and could consider replicating those successes in Anaheim.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitating. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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