ersatz

[ er-zahts, -sahts, er-zahts, -sahts ]
/ ˈɛr zɑts, -sɑts, ɛrˈzɑts, -ˈsɑts /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ersatz

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

Words nearby ersatz

error coin, error correction, error message, error of closure, ers, ersatz, erse, ershad, erskine, erst, erstwhile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ersatz

synthetic, phony, imitation, fake, sham, substitute, counterfeit, bogus, manufactured, pretended, simulated, spurious, copied, false

Example sentences from the Web for ersatz

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