simulacrum
Americannoun
plural
simulacra-
a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.
-
an effigy, image, or representation.
a simulacrum of Aphrodite.
noun
-
any image or representation of something
-
a slight, unreal, or vague semblance of something; superficial likeness
Etymology
Origin of simulacrum
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin simulācrum “likeness, image,” equivalent to simulā(re) “to pretend, imitate” + -crum instrumental suffix; see origin at simulate
Explanation
A simulacrum is a fake version of something real. A wax museum is full of simulacrums of famous people. Simulacrum comes from the Latin word simulare meaning "to make like" and is related to words like simulate (to imitate) and similarity. A simulacrum might look like a person, but it's usually a sculpture. Also, a simulacrum can be a representation that's not very good. If you say, "This video game is only a simulacrum of playing football!" that means it does a poor job of copying the game.
Vocabulary lists containing simulacrum
Hidden Figures
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List 7
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An Ember in the Ashes
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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.
They return again and again to the phenomenon of experiential change, such as the way that memories may seem accurate or false depending on one’s vantage, or when something original is mistaken for its simulacrum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The risks would be far greater if the interactions were taking place outside of a clinical setting, or for “re-animation” technologies like griefbots, which offer a simulacrum of speaking to a deceased loved one.
From Slate • Dec. 18, 2025
Apparently, a lot of folks feel seeing people in the real world is too taxing, and it's easier to refract your urge for connection to an app that offers only an inch-deep simulacrum.
From Salon • Jan. 19, 2025
The director Vera Drew got in hot water making this DC Comics-inspired origin story about a transgender simulacrum of the Joker, Batman’s frozen-smile nemesis.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024
I could make a simulacrum of the draccus, but then what?
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
