imitation

[ im-i-tey-shuhn ]

/ ˌɪm ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for imitation on Thesaurus.com

noun

a result or product of imitating.

the act of imitating.

a counterfeit; copy.

a literary composition that imitates the manner or subject of another author or work.

Biology. mimicry.

Psychology. the performance of an act whose stimulus is the observation of the act performed by another person.

Sociology. the copying of patterns of activity and thought of other groups or individuals.

Art.

(in Aristotelian aesthetics) the representation of an object or an action as it ought to be.
the representation of actuality in art or literature.

Music. the repetition of a melodic phrase at a different pitch or key from the original or in a different voice part.

adjective

designed to imitate a genuine or superior article or thing: imitation leather.

Jewelry. noting an artificial gem no part of which is of the true gemstone.Compare assembled, synthetic (def. 5).

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Origin of imitation

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin imitātiōn- (stem of imitātiō). See imitate, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM imitation

im·i·ta·tion·al, adjectivenon·im·i·ta·tion·al, adjectiveo·ver·im·i·ta·tion, nounpre·im·i·ta·tion, noun

self-im·i·ta·tion, noun

Words nearby imitation

iminourea, imipramine, imit., imitable, imitate, imitation, imitation doublet, Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, imitative, imitative magic, Imittós

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use imitation in a sentence

It’s a trend that will likely accelerate over the next five years, particularly when 5G takes center stage and robotics as a field leaves behind imitation and evolves independently.
Is the Pandemic Spurring a Robot Revolution?|Marius Robles|November 30, 2020|Singularity Hub
The company’s flagship imitation beef product went on sale in 200 supermarkets across Hong Kong and Singapore on Tuesday.
Impossible Foods enters grocery stores outside the U.S. for the first time|Naomi Xu Elegant|October 20, 2020|Fortune
What Anna and Seth have really been able to show is how imitation works and what the contagion effect looks like on the ground.
This year’s SN 10 scientists aim to solve some of science’s biggest challenges|Science News Staff|September 30, 2020|Science News
The star machine of late-night television has become a pale imitation of itself, turning former supernova-caliber appearances into mediocre Skype calls and half-hearted attempts at staging a “feels-live” show.
‘Sunset Boulevard’ of broken dreams|David Ehrenstein|August 20, 2020|Washington Blade

A representation provides a simplified picture of a group, just as a grayscale photo can serve as a low-cost imitation of the original color image.
The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics|Kevin Hartnett|June 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine
There are Egyptian influences and an imitation Hindu temple.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand|Nina Strochlic|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As if, after all the above, one would want anything that reeked of lifeless imitation.
How Horst Captured Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, and Vivien Leigh—and Changed Fashion Photography|Patrick Strudwick|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, this is high praise.
The Stoner's Guide to the Internet|Abby Haglage|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The very faculty of language is, to a large extent, a matter of imitation.
You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation|John McWhorter|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It used to be that we said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation|John McWhorter|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Spaniards since have substituted paper for the leaves of maize, in imitation of them.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The culture of expression is a very different thing from the artful imitation of the signs of feeling and purpose.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Impersonation may be more easily achieved intellectually, requiring only keen observation and the power of imitation.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Imitation of the ways of their elders doubtless plays a part here, but it is aided by an instinct for adornment.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Like art, too, on its representative side, play aims at producing an imitation or semblance of something.
Children's Ways|James Sully

British Dictionary definitions for imitation

imitation

/ (ˌɪmɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

the act, practice, or art of imitating; mimicry

an instance or product of imitating, such as a copy of the manner of a person; impression

a copy or reproduction of a genuine article; counterfeit
(as modifier)imitation jewellery

(in contrapuntal or polyphonic music) the repetition of a phrase or figure in one part after its appearance in another, as in a fugue

a literary composition that adapts the style of an older work to the writer's own purposes

Derived forms of imitation

imitational, adjective

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

imitation

Origin of imitation

OTHER WORDS FROM imitation

Words nearby imitation

Words related to imitation

How to use imitation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imitation

Derived forms of imitation