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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imitative
Conversations in dorm rooms and lecture halls consist of roughly 97% university-loathing and imitative protests to fire coaches and athletic directors.
—
Noah White, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Third-party imitative learning from an immigrating parrot’s flockmates may facilitate overall group integration and social bonding and may even give rise to cultural conventions of coordinated movements or gestures.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
In Roeck’s picture, competitive, rather than imitative, habits of mind rose from religious warfare, establishing a cutthroat system of cultural and economic innovation which lasts to this day.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for imitative
Noah White, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Third-party imitative learning from an immigrating parrot’s flockmates may facilitate overall group integration and social bonding and may even give rise to cultural conventions of coordinated movements or gestures.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
In Roeck’s picture, competitive, rather than imitative, habits of mind rose from religious warfare, establishing a cutthroat system of cultural and economic innovation which lasts to this day.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for imitative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitative
Adjective
-
The synthetic present isn’t going away.—
Dean DeBiase,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Inspired by the shape of a horse’s hoof, Le Perfecteur brush is crafted from synthetic fibre bristles that don’t absorb pigments, but rather deposit them evenly across the skin for ample coverage with little product.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This image oscillates between mimetic naturalism and the geometry of the digital design process.—
Thomas Demand,
Artforum,
2 Nov. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Trendy colors, faux wood, and farmhouse styles date quickly or clash with architecture.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The Hana style is particularly rich-looking, on-sale, and comes in a ton of colorways (the brown faux shearling style is just so fun).—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The students are taught to understand medical systems before entering clinical roles by practicing documentation in simulated environments.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Local puppy raisers from Guide Dogs for the Blind had the opportunity to take their puppies through a simulated travel exercise.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The biggest one is that the team has reworked how victories are achieved so that campaigns feel less formulaic, adhering to the goals of the age.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2026
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But neither the writers nor the actors are interested in anything so formulaic.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brandon Tseng, co‑founder of Shield AI, told CNBC that Hivemind enables other companies and militaries to develop their own artificial-intelligence pilots locally, and Singapore would own that intellectual property.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
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Sugary drinks are defined as non-alcoholic beverages with natural or artificial sweeteners, or drinks with less than 50% fruit juice.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Thai troops uncovered a sprawling scam complex in Cambodia where international fraud rings used mock police stations and bank replicas to deceive billions of victims globally.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Stewart reacted in mock offense.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Authorities made an arrest after a ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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 9 Feb. 2026.
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