1
as in imitation
using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model
your writing style tends to be imitative of whichever author you've recently read
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2
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
an imitative extract never has the flavor of the real thing
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Recent Examples of imitative
The results suggested that felines may have imitative skills and the ability to recognize behavioral similarities.
—
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Tesfaye and Ortega model two opposing modes of imitative, hollow performance, like a bad actor’s varying notions of good acting.
—Charles Bramesco, IndieWire, 15 May 2025
Explaining Traditions - Folk Behavior In Modern Culture By Simon J. Bronner
This kind of imitative play—not just Cooties but also House or Cops and Robbers—helps children make sense of the world.
—Bruce Handy, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2025
The social self is avoidance-based, conforming, imitative, predictable, planned, and hardworking.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imitative
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Tesfaye and Ortega model two opposing modes of imitative, hollow performance, like a bad actor’s varying notions of good acting.
—Charles Bramesco, IndieWire, 15 May 2025
Explaining Traditions - Folk Behavior In Modern Culture By Simon J. Bronner
This kind of imitative play—not just Cooties but also House or Cops and Robbers—helps children make sense of the world.
—Bruce Handy, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2025
The social self is avoidance-based, conforming, imitative, predictable, planned, and hardworking.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imitative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitative
Adjective
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Meanwhile, newer synthetic drugs such as spice or bath salts may not be detected at all without specialized equipment.—
Andrew Yockey,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 placed second in Cinebench and fourth in Geekbench, two synthetic benchmarks that test CPU performance.—
Mark Coppock,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This recycling of historical materials, multiplied by the dozens of characters developed in Bomarzo, produces a mimetic effect.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
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To get robotic collectives closer to Terminator’s mimetic polyalloy, the team wants to make the robots smaller.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There are so many fun home decor in Pottery Barn’s clearance section for less than $50, including candle holders, faux plants, and even (some) bedding.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Sep. 2025
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Particular standouts are a walnut and parchment media console, faux-fur pouf ottomans with an angular chrome base, a unique performance velvet sectional, and a particularly striking set of dining chairs.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Exceptional dining options Hotel food can sometimes become feel formulaic—not so at this property.—
Sherrie Nachman,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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As injuries mounted up, the more formulaic Arsenal became, and the yearning for someone more expressive grew.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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His view aligns with ideas put forth by Gerard O’Neill, the late physicist and Princeton University professor who posited that humans should aspire to live in gargantuan space stations that orbit close to home and spin to provide simulated gravity.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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In these trials, a DJI M300 drone carried a defibrillator in response to a simulated 999 call.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Whose idea was this, and what kinds of settler-colonial relations does this mock holdup invert?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Sweater My grandmother also purchased this 100 percent cashmere mock-neck sweater to have on hand in case the weather requires an extra layer.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To address these challenges, the Institute of Energy carried out research on the steady-state operation performance of China’s USD one-trillion ‘artificial sun’ fusion reactor.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
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Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These are games that mimic gambling, like slot machines, video poker and casino-style card games by selling virtual coins.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
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The active chemicals in cannabis mimic natural brain molecules called endocannabinoids, which stimulate cannabinoid receptors — together, these two elements represent the brain’s endocannabinoid system.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Imitative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitative. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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