MIMIC Synonyms: 162 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

mimic 1 of 3

verb

Definition of mimic

as in to imitate

to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of the comedian was famous for mimicking the President's distinctive lisp

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to emulate

to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior began to learn their language by mimicking the sounds they made

Synonyms & Similar Words

mimic

2 of 3

adjective

as in simulated

being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials police were concerned that the mimic gun, although intended only as a toy, might be confused with the real thing in certain situations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in imitative

using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model a mimic battle fought by kids playing around in the schoolyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

mimic

3 of 3

noun

ˈmi-mik

as in imitator

a person who imitates another's voice and mannerisms for comic effect a gifted mimic who can do a terrific imitation of anyone's voice

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

The staircase was designed to mimic a suit, with a minimal exterior and walnut lining. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 Even plants get in on the mimicry fun, with some mimicking the small of rotten meat to attract flies and others using their petals to trick flies into pollinating on them. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026

Noun

Her jokester father worked for a railway; her realtor mother was a gifted mimic whose impressions of clients enlivened family dinners. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026 Some of the hormone mimics, such as for amylin, might also work alone. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mimic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mimic

Verb

And besides, there’s a theory that, with the meow, the cats were evolving to imitate us.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
To make a famous ivory-navy-and-red bouclé suit worn by Coco herself, for example, the team used combs from Walmart to crosshatch the paint’s surface and added dollops of paint to imitate bouclé’s popcorn texture.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of imitate

Verb

Schofield suggested that Harry and Markle consider emulating the example set by William and Middleton.

— Ashley Hume , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
This dovetails with Enzo’s desire to emulate classic French movie star style, his favorite being Jean Gabin.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of emulate

Adjective

This involved competing in simulated games of capture the flag held inside complex, three-dimensional virtual worlds.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
Her massive concrete site-work, which takes up the entirety of the Geffen Galleries plaza, is peppered with fragmentary representations of the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl and the simulated footprints of Californian fauna.

— George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of simulated

Adjective

Using techniques like input-dependent computation and gating, the liquid AI design gives us substantially greater power to access the human-like cognition, albeit imitative, of the machines.

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Since then, whenever new tools to crank out communications have become available, somebody has flooded the zone with the fastest, most imitative material that could garner attention.

— Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025

Definition of imitative

Noun

Few people on the continent seem to recognize that multibillion investments by US companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Amazon in space, and their many imitators in China, are radically transforming spaceflight.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026
An exemplary script and dashes of stylish direction set this ’90s favorite apart from myriad Tarantino imitators.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of imitator

Noun

Lyons uses her extraordinary physicality — slipping between a range of accents, mime, and endless amount of gestures to hold together a piece that could easily fall apart.

— Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
The idea is that as an operator mimes picking up a pile of rocks, the arm would generate a force in response, as if the operator could feel the heaviness of the rocks, confirming that the excavator is indeed picking them up.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of mime

Verb

The White House announced Arcade on social media with a series of animations parodying Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo loading screens.

— Lou Kesten, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Jules Dassin’s Rififi (1955) and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing (1956) further refined the formula, while a number of decidedly sillier capers in the ’60s both parodied and advanced the genre, helping set the stage for the modern Ocean’s movies.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of parody

Verb

Then the user is instructed to copy the text and paste it into the Windows Run, PowerShell, or macOS terminal and click Enter.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Printed, copied, and circulated among an extraordinarily literate population, the Constitution executed a covenant and allowed, too, for the exertion of power over vast distances.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of copy

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Style

“Mimic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mimic. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of mimic

verb

adjective

noun

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