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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imitators
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
That's the beloved appetizer consisting of six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp that family matriarch Carmen Murguia brought to California from the border town of Mexicali, creating what may be the area’s most popular Mexican dish and inspiring countless imitators.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Michtom didn’t bother to patent his invention; the imitators merely spurred interest.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The popularity of products like Meta Ray-Bans has opened up a new market of imitators who are in an arms race to make their smart glasses as ethically dubious as possible, perhaps with a little help from AI or facial recognition software.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Jan. 2026
Although Rudolph’s concrete architecture was more complex and soulful than that of many of his imitators, that difference was often overlooked.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 13 Jan. 2026
The film introduced new slang into the lexicon, repopularized surf rock, and spawned dozens of fast-talking imitators.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
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
That's the beloved appetizer consisting of six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp that family matriarch Carmen Murguia brought to California from the border town of Mexicali, creating what may be the area’s most popular Mexican dish and inspiring countless imitators.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Michtom didn’t bother to patent his invention; the imitators merely spurred interest.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The popularity of products like Meta Ray-Bans has opened up a new market of imitators who are in an arms race to make their smart glasses as ethically dubious as possible, perhaps with a little help from AI or facial recognition software.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Jan. 2026
Although Rudolph’s concrete architecture was more complex and soulful than that of many of his imitators, that difference was often overlooked.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 13 Jan. 2026
The film introduced new slang into the lexicon, repopularized surf rock, and spawned dozens of fast-talking imitators.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitators
Noun
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That makes sense, given she's used to broadcasting snippets of her life to her more than 7 million TikTok followers and nearly 4 million on Instagram.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Lifestyle influencer and DadToker Mortensen has become a social media influencer, with about 830,000 followers on TikTok and 290,000 followers on Instagram.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 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
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The drone also incorporates an acoustic shield to dampen noise from its own propellers, enabling clearer detection of echoes.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Mar. 2026
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There were also subtle echoes to Alessandro Michele’s influence throughout—a welcome nod from Demna, one that bridges past and present while setting the tone for the next Gucci chapter.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kiarostami had made films mostly with nonprofessional actors, often about rural people of modest means.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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The story highlights Dilan as a strong female lead, while the main actors — initially new faces — have rapidly gained huge popularity, building large fan bases and reaching over one million followers each on Instagram.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Jokes about her standing within the LGBTQ community, and the countless drag impersonators who take up her likeness.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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In other cases highlighted by TODAY, AI impersonators hawked treatments that were scientifically impossible.—
John Whyte,
STAT,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitators. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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