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:
Pittsburgh sculptor Brian McGuire custom designed the mold and is also working on a replica of the 1926 Central Library building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Constructing an accurate, full-scale replica involves far more than enlarging a drawing or arranging generic bones into a dramatic pose.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
During searches of Ahmadzai's home, officers claimed to have recovered and seized a replica pistol and a knife.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Spain fans swarmed around Madison Square Garden with one clutching a replica trophy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Sand swirled gently as I spoke, spinning into pillars, walls, and waterfalls, until a small replica of the throne room appeared in front of us.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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
For the new study, researchers used identical replicas of MOMA's capillary tubes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Meanwhile, Missi has been buying replicas of lost toys on eBay and knickknacks to occupy the empty spaces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
The murals are replicas of my father’s backdrops that they used.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
In Egypt, there are only two pyramid replicas, and since the room has a dry heat, the employees are offering Nile River-brand water bottles.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
