Synonym Chooser

How does the noun replica differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of replica are copy, duplicate, facsimile, and reproduction. While all these words mean "a thing made to closely resemble another," replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details, but not always in the same scale.

a replica of the Mayflower
miniature replicas of classic cars

When would copy be a good substitute for replica?

The words copy and replica can be used in similar contexts, but copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically.

printed 1000 copies of the lithograph

When is duplicate a more appropriate choice than replica?

The synonyms duplicate and replica are sometimes interchangeable, but duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing.

a duplicate of a house key

When could facsimile be used to replace replica?

While the synonyms facsimile and replica are close in meaning, facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale.

a facsimile of a rare book

Where would reproduction be a reasonable alternative to replica?

In some situations, the words reproduction and replica are roughly equivalent. However, reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.

reproductions from the museum's furniture collection

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 replica Several years ago, lidar surveys revealed that a small replica of Teotihuacán’s citadel lies just outside Tikal’s center. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025 View 2 Images Four tiny 3D organs connected themselves in a lab dish, forming a replica of the human pain pathway, in a new study. New Atlas, 9 Apr. 2025 Collector’s Edition Bonuses A limited Collector’s Edition includes everything in the Premium bundle, plus a custom globe with secret storage, a replica of the Allmaker Relic, an oversized SteelBook, and a collector’s adventure journal. Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025 New details about the sinking of the famed ocean liner, RMS Titanic, in 1912 have been revealed by a 3D virtual replica created by British deep-sea mapping company, Magellan Limited. Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for replica
Recent Examples of Synonyms for replica
Noun
  • These are part of a suite of 24 images based on an ancient Japanese agricultural calendar (made up of 24 micro-seasons).
    Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Hurts and Burrows — both wearing white — could be seen in one of the images holding hands while surrounded by candles, with a violinist pictured in the background.
    Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • There was a grocery list, spice cans, copies of L.A. newspapers.
    Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The title was pressed as a picture disc and made available in small quantities, as just 6,500 copies were produced.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • This project marked Sidibe's return to acting after welcoming her twins with her husband.
    Hannah Sacks, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • The twins worked together on screen again in Own Worst Enemy (2014), 7 Days: The Story of Blind Dave Heeley (2019), and Last Night in Soho (2021).
    Julia Emmanuele, EW.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Hess’s book arrives at a historical moment—post-Dobbs, pro-natalist, techno-dystopian—in which both pregnant bodies and the stuff of reproduction itself have come under an extraordinary degree of scrutiny, judgment, and control.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Fruit fly reproduction Fruit fly reproduction can happen quickly.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In a way, The Bad Batch became the culmination of everything that had been built around the seemingly simple concept of the elite clone troopers.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Sawyer has played like a clone of Hubbard for the Buckeyes.
    Paul Dehner Jr., New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Golden Age of great chefs in America was born out of imitation, adaption and innovation by young cooks buoyed by receptive media to get a national, even global, audience.
    John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Protecting the human spark While AI models that simulate creativity in writing, coding, images, audio, or video can achieve remarkable imitations of human works, this sophisticated mimicry currently lacks the full depth of the human experience.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Front and center was a picture of Tatum and Williams holding hands, with the actor kissing the model's forehead.
    Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • But Sophie’s name transforms a banal photograph into a picture that leads us into a world of families and the complicated racial politics of the 19th-century West.
    Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • According to the lawsuit, ECE International is reconciling the claims, including identifying duplicate and unsupported claims.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2025
  • For example, after an acquisition, duplicate processes may remain from the two merging organizations, leading to process-organization complexity.
    Stephen Wilson, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Replica.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/replica. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

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