simulation

American  

[sim-yuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌsɪm yəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. imitation or enactment, as of something anticipated or in testing.

2. the act or process of pretending; feigning.

3. an assumption or imitation of a particular appearance or form; counterfeit; sham.

4. Psychiatry. a conscious attempt to feign some mental or physical disorder to escape punishment or to gain a desired objective.

5. the representation of the behavior or characteristics of one system through the use of another system, especially a computer program designed for the purpose.

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simulation British  

/ ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of simulating

2. the assumption of a false appearance or form

3. a representation of a problem, situation, etc, in mathematical terms, esp using a computer

4. maths statistics computing the construction of a mathematical model for some process, situation, etc, in order to estimate its characteristics or solve problems about it probabilistically in terms of the model

5. psychiatry the conscious process of feigning illness in order to gain some particular end; malingering

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsimulation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of simulation

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English simulacion, from Latin simulātiōn- (stem of simulātiō ) “a pretense”; see simulate, -ion

Explanation

A simulation is a representation of something, not the real thing, like the simulation of life in New York City, seen in movies that were shot on Hollywood sound stages and on the streets of Toronto. A simulation is something that represents something else — it isn't the real thing. At times you might perform a simulation as practice for real life, such as a flight simulation that’s used to train pilots. The word can also be used, often dismissively, to describe something that is a fake, like a simulation of excitement or the simulation of a perfect diamond.

Example Sentences

Use this context to make the simulation realistic,” Grunewald suggested.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

The economist can now build her own simulation, the doctor can prototype a clinical decision tool, and the logistics manager can write his own optimizer.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

The simulation provided detailed temperature and precipitation data, which researchers fed into the Penn State University ice-sheet-ice-shelf model.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

The robot in the simulation was given a task and repeatedly simulated it to identify the most promising solutions, an approach called reinforcement learning.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

“You know that’s not a simulation we allow cadets to practice. We save events like those until you are in your final training year.”

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• reproduction