simulacrum

American  

[sim-yuh-ley-kruhm] / ˌsɪm jəˈleɪ krəm /

noun

simulacra plural

1. a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.

2. an effigy, image, or representation.

   a simulacrum of Aphrodite.

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simulacrum British  

/ ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪkrəm /

noun

1. any image or representation of something

2. a slight, unreal, or vague semblance of something; superficial likeness

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• simulacra
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

simulacrum simulacra

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 original manuscript of Hemingway’s book has not, alas, been rediscovered — Byers has created a simulacrum of sorts, an imagined version of “One Must First Endure.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

The simulacrum tilts its head, just like Darin used to.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

But Rollins remained dismissive of the band, telling the New York Times decades later that he regarded the Stones’ music as a flimsy simulacra of work by Black artists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

She added, “We’ve reached a saturation point with retail simulacra: Everything is a copy of a copy, and even things that started in Copenhagen are now at Wayfair.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

Italian semiotician and author Umberto Eco said as much in his seminal Il costume di casa, or "Faith in Fakes," in which he attempted to unfurl "America's obsession with simulacra and counterfeit reality."

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2023

Philosopher John Searle made a fairly convincing argument that mere simulacra of understanding language can exist without real comprehension.

From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2022

Political principles, respect for authority and tradition, esteem for high moral worth, to say nothing of altruism and public spirit, either vanished or shrank to shadowy simulacra.

From The Inside Story of the Peace Conference by Dillon, Emile Joseph