simulated
Britishadjective
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(of fur, leather, pearls, etc) being an imitation of the genuine article, usually made from cheaper material
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(of actions, qualities, emotions, etc) imitated; feigned
Explanation
A simulated thing pretends to be something it’s not, like a fire drill with fake smoke. Relax, it’s only a simulated emergency, created to feel exactly like the real thing. Simulated and similar have the same Latin root (similis), and a simulated situation is similar to the original, like a theme park that feels like India when you’re actually in Florida. Emotions can be simulated too, like your simulated sadness when you just want to get out of trouble. The word implies fakeness, but not always in a bad way. A simulated airflight video game can teach you how to fly without the negative side effects of crashing and dying.
Vocabulary lists containing simulated
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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"How the Brain Reacts"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 31–February 6, 2026
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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.
In spring training, he said, he stepped into the batting cage to try to hit simulated pitches from Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
It has simulated the outcome of all 380 Premier League games 10,000 times and came to the same conclusion as AI, and three of the pundits.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
On Wednesday night, Lai was put through his paces when he was escorted in an armoured vehicle convoy from the Presidential Office to a secure command centre in a simulated evacuation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
“I learned that the Marines are capable of employing those drones against simulated enemy targets,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Whereon it, sophisticated piece of hardware that it was, chomped away in simulated contentment, bamboozling the other tenants of the building.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
