as in performer
a person who imitates another's voice and mannerisms for comic effect
a celebrated impressionist who can do enough rapid-fire imitations to populate an entire stage with characters
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Recent Examples of impressionist
Staff Report, Daily News, 26 June 2025
The funniest part about that is Lisa Ann Walter is actually a really exceptional impressionist.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 16 Apr. 2025
Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Photograph by Evelyn Freja A stroke of inspiration led the boundary-pushing vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater to pair up with the impressionist pianist Bill Charlap.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impressionist
Noun
Rich Little, legendary impressionist, 6 p.m. June 29 (special event: tinyurl.com/bdevetyn).
—Staff Report, Daily News, 26 June 2025
The funniest part about that is Lisa Ann Walter is actually a really exceptional impressionist.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
The resulting rich visual swirl of colors and shapes looks like a dynamic impressionist painting.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Photograph by Evelyn Freja A stroke of inspiration led the boundary-pushing vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater to pair up with the impressionist pianist Bill Charlap.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impressionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impressionist
Noun
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The stock has gained nearly 105% in the past three months, making it by far the best performer in the popular VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH ).—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
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Writer-performer Aruhan Galieva, disabled producer Jess Gardner (Doctor Who, GALWAD), and NFTS director Benjamin Adnams develop Limerance, following multiple award-winning collaborations and the First Flights Film Fund Award.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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The animation — hand-painting on canvas and glass render the hypnotic water effects — feels impressionistic, like a work of fine art come to life.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There are even apps where actors can upload their reels.—
Taran Khan,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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Late Shift follows a single staff member, named Floria and played by the extraordinary German actor Leonie Benesch, in a cancer ward for a tightly wound 90 minutes.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The production works best when the play’s expressionistic flourishes invite theatergoers to consider more deeply the subjective experiences and societal subtexts that are being externalized.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps a more perverse, expressionistic route is required.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Wearing her signature pink headband, the popular children’s entertainer leaned toward the screen, trying to comfort the boy.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
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Wilson’s six wins last year included entertainer of the year for the second year in a row and female artist of the year for the third year in a row.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The production is naturalistic, with bits of expressionist neo-noir worked in when a crime is being described.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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One of music’s greatest cosmic ironies is how ground zero for the expressionist rage known as death metal is located in easy driving distance from the Most Magical Place on Earth.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
19 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Though Cox has a small role and Panettiere returns, the lack of legacy characters makes this feel like a cheap imitator at times.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Mar. 2026
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For decades, Gallup’s company and its imitators improved their techniques.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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After the discovery that a police impersonator with a long criminal record was helping place real officers in security jobs, the Dallas Police Department plans to make changes to its off-duty work rules.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Impressionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impressionist. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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