noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of replica
First recorded in 1815–25; from Italian: “reply, repetition,” derivative of replicare “to repeat” from Late Latin replicāre “to reply ”
Explanation
A replica of something is a close — sometimes exact — likeness. The "Mona Lisa" that you bought at the department store is not the original but a replica of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Sorry, but you can always take it back. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, a replica is pure adulation. Someone creating a replica is creating an imitation of the original. The word first appeared in 17th-century Italy, taking its meaning from the word replicare, "to reply or repeat," as used in music. In time, it came to mean a copy, often of a work of art. In a stricter sense, the word refers to a copy created or supervised by the artist of the original work.
Vocabulary lists containing replica
Vocabulary from the Third and Final Presidential Debate, October 19, 2016
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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A Single Shard
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On another occasion, Pillinger loaded a Beagle 2 replica into a supermarket trolley and wheeled it around The Open University's car park, demonstrating its compact size to cameras.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Tyler Perry Studios boasts a replica of the White House, an airport terminal, two baseball fields, a strip mall, a residential neighborhood, and a golf course.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
A museum in Reading, west of London, is enjoying a flurry of attention for its little-known Victorian replica of the tapestry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
She was checking people in on the pier for a separate boat tour to Sazan on a replica galleon that advertises the opportunity to “be a pirate for a day.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Twig, Dari, and I would be giving a joint presentation about the egg drop, and since Twig was in charge of bringing our S’meggs replica, she was getting a ride with her mom that morning.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
They hung replicas of “predator” eyes in pigeon hotspots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Indian authorities have built replicas of the huts to get their athletes used to living in them.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Additionally, studios need to pay residuals to digital replicas used in reruns, and replicas cannot be used during a strike.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
One raid involved 1,618 fake strips being taken from a warehouse in Birmingham, including replicas of star players such as France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Those humble replicas of the revelry of former times served to show Aureliano Segundo himself how much his spirits had declined and to what a degree his skill as a masterful carouser had dried up.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
