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
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
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These synthetic peptides are growing popular among biohackers and wellness influencers.—
Sarah Boden,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2026
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The dividing line between natural kratom and the synthetic type has created a wedge that divides where there ought to be unity against an unregulated opioid that can cause permanent damage to users.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This image oscillates between mimetic naturalism and the geometry of the digital design process.—
Thomas Demand,
Artforum,
2 Nov. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Celebrity stylist Dimitris Giannetos, who shared a snap of the look on Instagram, styled her hair in a deep side part, adding some volume on the top, and creating faux side bangs and finishing things off the silkiest, bounciest blowout.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
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And, of course, Chappell Roan’s faux-nipple Mugler moment at the Grammys is still very much in the forefront of our minds.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In her experiments with photobiomodulation, Fan was able to get the worms’ heads to grow back 40% faster in normal gravity and nearly twice as quickly in simulated microgravity.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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Whisenhunt, 25, showcased his own notable jump in velocity during last Thursday’s simulated game.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That melodic emphasis is a powerful remedy for Evaporator’s limited and occasionally even formulaic sound.—
Ben Cardew,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
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Perhaps the worst thing that Hollywood’s long-standing formulaic approach has done is to convince even sophisticated critics that movies can’t rival literature as exalted artistic achievements.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Carvalho heavily promoted the artificial-intelligence chatbot, which was billed as helping with student absenteeism.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
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Three of the seven sugar substitutes involved in the study—erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol—belong to a category known as sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners that can be found in sweet treats like candy, ice cream, baked goods, and protein bars (and can cause digestive symptoms), for example.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Denver Post Broncos beat reporter Luca Evans also has McNeil-Warren coming to Denver in his mock draft.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
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An annual festival in Andorra drew condemnation from the country’s small Jewish community after an effigy bearing the Israeli flag was staged in a mock trial and then hung and shot.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The outcome is sure to spark strong reactions from Arizona Republicans who advanced the 2022 changes and several GOP legislators successfully invoked the law to defend themselves as fake electors from criminal prosecution by Mayes.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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Jonathan Holloway, founder of Pokémon card authentication and pre-grading company Validoe, told USA TODAY that fake cards are abundant in the market, so the authenticity of the cards should be ensured before grading, which often comes at a price.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
27 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 1 Mar. 2026.
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