ersatz

[ er-zahts, -sahts, er-zahts, -sahts ]

/ ˈɛr zɑts, -sɑts, ɛrˈzɑts, -ˈsɑts /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ersatz ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving as a substitute; synthetic; artificial: an ersatz coffee made from grain.

noun

an artificial substance or article used to replace something natural or genuine; a substitute.

Nearby words

Origin of ersatz

1870–75; < German Ersatz a substitute (derivative of ersetzen to replace)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ersatz

They were done to give a thin patina of ersatz legitimacy to what is otherwise flagrant sexual assault.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture|Russell Saunders|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An elderly couple dances under flashing lights in an ersatz disco club.
Inside Japan's 30,000 Kinky ‘Love Hotels’|Lizzie Crocker|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our hopes have gotten so cheesy that even the cheese is ersatz.
Tina Brown: Why Kim Kardashian Isn’t ‘Aspirational'|Tina Brown|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Plus, the song is catchy and rich with emotion which, although it may be ersatz, is pop perfection.
One Direction, Harry Styles and the Princess Diana Connection|Tom Sykes|September 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Unfortunately, the admissions system seems to be primarily geared towards fake sincerity and ersatz enrichment.
The Absurd Lies of College Admissions|Megan McArdle|April 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They were cakes of ersatz flour with ersatz cream, and not very healthy or nutritious, though very expensive.
Now It Can Be Told|Philip Gibbs
In front of the 4th Ersatz Division the enemy still held a bridge-head at Lombartzyde.
Ypres 1914|Otto Schwink
There was Tylerton—an ersatz city, but looking so real and familiar that Burckhardt almost imagined the whole episode a dream.
The Tunnel Under The World|Frederik Pohl
To his disgust he was put in the 10th Ersatz Division, and now, after his soldier life, wants to work in a British shipyard.
From Bapaume to Passchendaele, 1917|Philip Gibbs
He slid into his chair and reached automatically for the ersatz grapefruit.
Tony and the Beetles|Philip K. Dick

British Dictionary definitions for ersatz

ersatz

/ (ˈɛəzæts, ˈɜː-) /

adjective

made in imitation of some natural or genuine product; artificial

noun

an ersatz substance or article

Word Origin for ersatz

C20: German, from ersetzen to substitute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ersatz

ersatz

adj.

1875, from German Ersatz "units of the army reserve," literally "compensation, replacement, substitute," from ersetzen "to replace," from Old High German irsezzen, from ir-, unaccented variant of ur- + setzen "to set" (see set (v.)). As a noun, from 1892.