1
as in followers
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way
an Elvis imitator in a sequinned jumpsuit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in performers
a person who imitates another's voice and mannerisms for comic effect
that comedian is a hilarious imitator of a surprising array of current celebrities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of imitators
By early 1985, IBM—the computing giant that dominated corporate America—and its imitators had captured nearly half the personal computer market, up from about a third just months earlier.
—
Geoffrey Cain, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Baseball is a copycat league, and success breeds imitators.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
In Karp’s telling, Basquiat is someone who Just Did Things, like today’s defense tech founders, who possess a similar kind of creative conviction, as opposed to the consumer tech imitators of yesteryear.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
This is the first Hitchcock film that fully crystallizes his distinct sense of dark humor, which is one of the key elements that sets his thrillers apart from those of his contemporaries and imitators.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
Swimbaits, stick baits, creature baits, crawfish imitators, and big ribbontail worms will all catch fish on a Texas rig.
—Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
For decades, Gallup’s company and its imitators improved their techniques.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026
Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The imitators are increasingly convincing, especially as AI image and video generators get better by the day.
—John Whyte, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
Geoffrey Cain, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Baseball is a copycat league, and success breeds imitators.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
In Karp’s telling, Basquiat is someone who Just Did Things, like today’s defense tech founders, who possess a similar kind of creative conviction, as opposed to the consumer tech imitators of yesteryear.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
This is the first Hitchcock film that fully crystallizes his distinct sense of dark humor, which is one of the key elements that sets his thrillers apart from those of his contemporaries and imitators.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
Swimbaits, stick baits, creature baits, crawfish imitators, and big ribbontail worms will all catch fish on a Texas rig.
—Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
For decades, Gallup’s company and its imitators improved their techniques.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026
Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The imitators are increasingly convincing, especially as AI image and video generators get better by the day.
—John Whyte, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitators
Noun
-
In classic Earle fashion, the social media star was transparent with her followers and gave them a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her photo shoot ahead of the 2025 SI Swimsuit launch.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
-
Bedford Erickson, 3, has captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of followers on social media who follow his journey living with a rare condition called Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But does that have echoes in what’s going on outside our window?—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Drums and synthesizers are interspersed with delicately arranged strings, but there’s something transcendent about the contours and echoes of Raye’s voice.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Upstairs, impressionists, writers, socialites, and painters who moved in Proust’s orbit, from Sarah Bernhardt to Emile Zola and Claude Monet, lent their names to a room or suite.—
Lindsey Tramuta,
Robb Report,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The rapid rise of AI, while technologically dazzling, has prompted widespread anxieties on multiple fronts, including job security, human worth and potential misuse by malevolent actors looking to commit fraud, spread disinformation or foment hate.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
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And to be clear, there absolutely are bad-faith actors out there.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
For Oakley, being a drag king is about challenging masculinity rather than impersonating someone, which is what older male impersonators have traditionally done.—
Nicole Macias Garibay,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Colleen Hoover, a frequent target of impersonators, told me these scams are more out of control than ever.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitators. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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