mimicry

American  

[mim-ik-ree] / ˈmɪm ɪk ri /

noun

• mimicries
  plural

1. the act, practice, or art of mimicking.

2. Biology. the close external resemblance of an organism, the mimic, to some different organism, the model, such that the mimic benefits from the mistaken identity, as seeming to be unpalatable or harmful.

3. an instance, performance, or result of mimicking.

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mimicry British  

/ ˈmɪmɪkrɪ /

noun

1. the act or art of copying or imitating closely; mimicking

2. the resemblance shown by one animal species, esp an insect, to another, which protects it from predators

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mimicry Scientific  

/ mĭm′ĭ-krē /

1. The resemblance of one organism to another or to an object in its surroundings for concealment or protection from predators.

2. See also aggressive mimicry Batesian mimicry Müllerian mimicry

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mimicries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mimicry

First recorded in 1680–90; mimic + -ry

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Explanation

Mimicry is the art of imitation, which is practiced the world over, from annoying siblings who repeat every word you say, to professional comedians who impersonate famous people onstage. Mimicry comes from a Greek word for mime: a performer who silently imitates gestures and expressions. Usually mimicry refers to imitation that is meant to make fun of the thing imitated, often in an unkind way. Think of the class clown’s mimicry of your French teacher’s overly precise accent. It entertained the class, but got him sent to the principal’s office.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mimicry mimicries

Brydon, who grew up in Baglan, Port Talbot, is often seen engaging in competitive mimicry of famous actors, such as Michael Caine, Al Pacino and Hugh Grant, in the programme.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Interest in the ruling has been high among voice actors in Japan, who worry AI mimicry of the tool of their trade will go a long way toward the decline of the storied industry.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

They’ve discovered that AI, drawing on the huge troves of speech available on social media and other online sources, can now produce highly convincing mimicry of local accents from all over the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Without the right support, what starts as unconscious mimicry of peers’ behavior in childhood can exact a painful toll as time goes on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

They also engage in what is called motor mimicry.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

In private, her character is less appalling, though she is noted for her impudent mimicries of Moran & Mack, Maurice Chevalier, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, Groucho Marx.

From Time Magazine Archive

But she somehow progressed from entertaining her friends with mimicries to playing to paying houses.

From Time Magazine Archive

The pattern of the wallpaper blamelessly repeats itself from wainscote to cornice; and the pictures are immobile and changeless within their glazed frames—faint, flat mimicries of life.

From Yet Again by Sir Max Beerbohm

In the trickeries and mimicries of court life Bunsen was no adept, and nothing was easier than to outbid him in the price that is paid for royal favors.

From Chips From A German Workshop. Vol. III. Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities by F. Max (Friedrich Max) Müller

Foote was evading all law and order by his inimitable mimicries at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket; and for these performances at his "scandal-shop" is very properly brought up before Mr. Censor's Court.

From Henry Fielding: a Memoir by G. M. Godden

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