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
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Recent Examples of imitators
Their clothes inspired imitators.
—
Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
One of the more direct imitators of the SpaceX model is Blue Origin.
—David Szondy
may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2026
Three Things That Define the Category Understanding what distinguishes a genuine moonshot company matters more now that the category has attracted imitators — organizations that have adopted the language of transformation without the underlying architecture.
—Ethan Stone, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Most of the Steam Deck imitators on the market right now use AMD silicon, specifically the Ryzen Z-series chips.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026
My Year of Rest and Relaxation and its many imitators treat the instability and anhedonia of women as a source of self-deprecating comedy and little else.
—Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
And these are now increasingly fragile as a result of global unrest, climate change and a host of imitators.
—Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 19 May 2026
The dish everyone comes for is the spicy rigatoni vodka, a plate that’s launched a thousand imitators across the country.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 May 2026
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
Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
One of the more direct imitators of the SpaceX model is Blue Origin.
—David Szondy
may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2026
Three Things That Define the Category Understanding what distinguishes a genuine moonshot company matters more now that the category has attracted imitators — organizations that have adopted the language of transformation without the underlying architecture.
—Ethan Stone, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Most of the Steam Deck imitators on the market right now use AMD silicon, specifically the Ryzen Z-series chips.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026
My Year of Rest and Relaxation and its many imitators treat the instability and anhedonia of women as a source of self-deprecating comedy and little else.
—Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
And these are now increasingly fragile as a result of global unrest, climate change and a host of imitators.
—Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 19 May 2026
The dish everyone comes for is the spicy rigatoni vodka, a plate that’s launched a thousand imitators across the country.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitators
Noun
-
Ronaldo has 665 million followers on Instagram, more than any other human, twice as many as Taylor Swift (273 million) or more than Swift and Beyonce (300 million) combined.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
-
To fair success, from the looks of her 60k+ followers.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 June 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
-
Let the anniversaries roll From America250 to Miles Davis, not to mention the echoes of Jazz Day and full summer at Ravinia, our critic’s picks in jazz and classical music for the coming season.—
Kayla Samoy,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2026
-
Using money from depositors who had the right to withdraw their funds on demand to finance long-term, illiquid investments with an uncertain and distant payoff was a highly risky strategy—and one with echoes of what is currently creating turmoil among private credit funds today.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
2 June 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
-
The union will also get notice and an opportunity to bargain in case studios begin using synthetic actors, but will not be in a position to call a strike over the issue until 2030.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
5 June 2026
-
But the actors are reduced to joke machines trapped in a nonsensical nonplot, and while some of those gags yield laughs, a far greater number fall flat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Now that the King has been dead for nearly 50 years, the impersonators have become more iconic in Vegas than the actual person.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
The event aims to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of Monroe impersonators, with organizers hoping to attract 500 volunteers.—
Staff Photographer,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitators. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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