mimic 1 of 3

mimic

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adjective

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mimic

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noun

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as in mime
an actor in a story performed silently and entirely by body movements a mimic in black clothes and white facial makeup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mimic distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of mimic are ape, copy, imitate, and mock. While all these words mean "to make something so that it resembles an existing thing," mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

Where would ape be a reasonable alternative to mimic?

While in some cases nearly identical to mimic, ape may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

When would copy be a good substitute for mimic?

The words copy and mimic can be used in similar contexts, but copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

When could imitate be used to replace mimic?

The meanings of imitate and mimic largely overlap; however, imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

In what contexts can mock take the place of mimic?

In some situations, the words mock and mimic are roughly equivalent. However, mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mimic
Verb
There is a sense that if the jobs historically went to Democrats with a demographic that mimics the makeup of our country, the chainsaw lopped that department. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Sep. 2025 Covering them can help mimic the conditions of a cellar—insulating them against fluctuating temperatures and keeping them from drying out. Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The vials hold lunar simulants – dust and rocks — that mimic surface materials found at high latitudes on the moon. Leonard David, Space.com, 15 Aug. 2025 Traditional crawfish-and-rice farms in Louisiana, as well as in Gentz’s corner of Texas, mimic natural freshwater wetlands that are being lost to saltwater intrusion from sea level rise. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Most hotels, even the starry ones, traffic in just a newsletter mimic of the real stuff. Literary Hub, 4 June 2025 Samus is attacked and infected by one of them; although she can be saved, her infected Suit soon becomes the SA-X mimic, which wreaks havoc in the BSL's research space station and liberates other X parasites. Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mimic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mimic
Verb
  • Perhaps, but no machine can imitate my imagination or the memories that pour through me, or feel the fear of extinguishment.
    Adam Verner September 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Sometimes art imitates life by skipping a generation.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The simple and classic wreath emulates harvest season, without all of the Thanksgiving tropes like pumpkins or squash.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The most recent victory did come with a reference to Derek Jeter, whose legendary clutch performances are something Roberts would not mind if his team emulated.
    Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Non-linear conversational branching is just one more feature to remind you that an AI chatbot's simulated perspective is mutable, changeable, and highly guided by your own inputs in addition to the training data that forged its underlying neural network.
    Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The team tested the attacks on a simulated server, Windows PC, and Raspberry Pi device and found that AI-powered ransomware often succeeded in generating and carrying out the malicious instructions.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to thinking about how to escape John’s imitative poetry and scholasticism, Constantine had to consider his own future.
    Gregory Jusdanis, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 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
Noun
  • Top off fall fits with cozy scarves—think last year’s iconic Acne Studio scarf (and its many imitators) that is still going strong.
    Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The LLMs behind generative agents and chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are certainly expert imitators.
    Webb Wright, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The actors were mimes who were in costume, while the background plates were shot in Africa.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 26 Aug. 2025
  • The bad guy mimes rage, puffing out his chest, while the patrol officer backs away, hands in the air, the very picture of de-escalation.
    Sam Eagan, New Yorker, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • Stars like Doja Cat and Lizzo have enjoyed poking fun and parodying the ads.
    Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • For the social media stars — whose content parodies their real lives through comedic skits — the new baby will also present an opportunity for new kinds of videos.
    Luke Chinman, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Chennault wrote that the shark mouth didn’t originate with his group, but was copied from British P-40 fighters in North Africa, which in turn may have copied them from Germany’s Luftwaffe.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Historically start-ups were terrified of anyone outside their immediate organization learning the secrets of their innovations for fear they’d be copied.
    Michelle Greenwald, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mimic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mimic. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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