imitative

adjective

ˈi-mə-ˌtā-tiv How to pronounce imitative (audio)
Definition of imitativenext
1
as in imitation
using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model your writing style tends to be imitative of whichever author you've recently read

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials an imitative extract never has the flavor of the real thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 imitative 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 It may be borrowed or coined, named after a person, inspired by a place or imitative of a sound. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025 Conversations in dorm rooms and lecture halls consist of roughly 97% university-loathing and imitative protests to fire coaches and athletic directors. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for imitative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitative
  1. mimetic
  2. synthetic
  3. formulaic
  4. faux
  5. mock
  6. simulated
  7. unoriginal
  8. artificial
Adjective
  • But the legacy of the modernist academic-cultural complex blinds us to the mimetic spirit of this new technical logic.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • College and university bureaucracies tend to have a strong mimetic streak.
    — Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of mimetic
Adjective
  • On the flip side, a synthetic data model can predict how people with certain characteristics might respond without recruiting those people for every study.
    — Rebecca Brooks, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • According to Ali Hafezi, the co-owner of a rug restoration and appraisal company, synthetic fiber rugs are among the easiest rugs to clean.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of synthetic
Adjective
  • Slop is formulaic and impersonal, the aggregate of everything that is already imitating everything else.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Episodes tended to be repetitive and formulaic and the level of detail devoted to knowledge varied widely.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of formulaic
Adjective
  • Dash, 2026, the forty-seven-minute, two-channel essay-film at the project’s core, is filled with quiet, almost meditative scenes of machines tilling the land that initially conjure a faux-pastoral aesthetic register.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • These best-selling boots are the perfect pairing for your faux-suede purse.
    — Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • The outfit consisted of a sleeveless, mock-neck blouse in mocha-brown, tucked into a tawny suede skirt that hit just above her ankles.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Mirroring the look of King’s footwear, Osaka sported a metallic silver pleated top with a mock neckline and no sleeves.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of mock
Adjective
  • Just like their simulated counterparts, the worms consistently moved through the narrower channels faster than the wider ones.
    — K. R. Prathyusha, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • After five billion simulated years, the team observed irregularities in nearly every stellar stream, according to a press release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of simulated
Adjective
  • Summary Leaders are increasingly sounding generic, often using similar buzzwords, a trend exacerbated by AI's ability to generate competent but unoriginal communication.
    — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • No moral panic is more unoriginal than the fear that contemporary men are no longer as manly as the heroes who preceded them.
    — Elizabeth Dray, STAT, 21 July 2026
Definition of unoriginal
Adjective
  • The search for awareness is now centered on machines, with the debate over artificial-intelligence sentience forcing scientists to take a hard look at what cognition and consciousness actually mean.
    — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
  • For scholars of that mindset, all reference to precedent—any precedent, either natural or artificial—is mediated by modern technologies of mechanical reproduction, and by an awareness of their ubiquitous sway.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of artificial

Browse Nearby Words

imitations
imitative
imitator
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Cite this Entry

“Imitative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitative. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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